True Love Never Dies
by foreverXabby
Summary: -Prequel to Love Me Forever- in the 11th century, the original fairies and the original vampires existed, only they were still human. for both, it had always been family first. but what happens when love and power get in the way? Klaus/OC Elijah/OC Kol/OC
1. the fairies

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognized. Anything unrecognized is mine.**

_Chapter one_

**The fairies**

The Erikson family was not normal.

The mother- Abigail- was half crazy and hadn't spoken since her youngest child Halia was thirteen years of age. The father- Erik- was an angry drunk who had more pride than a king. But it was the children of the Erikson family that made the family strange. The children had powers, special abilities, given to them by nature. The children were fairies.

The Erikson family resided in a house in the woods, just outside the village. There was a pond behind it, next to the stables where they kept the horses. Bella was in charge of preparing the meals, because her mother was ill, and so she woke before everyone else to prepare breakfast. Bella rose before the sun did, to make sure that there was food on the table when her father woke up.

Bella had taken up most of her mother's responsibilities and housework since she got sick. She didn't complain- mostly because her father would punish her if she complained- but it was not Bella to complain.

After feeding her family breakfast that morning, Bella washed the dishes and enlisted her youngest sister Halia to help. Bella and Halia were very close sisters, and Bella was very protective of her. With good reason, though. Halia had the tendency to be naïve and trust people who didn't deserve her trust.

"It is Juliana's birthday in a few days, Bella," Halia informed her sister as they walked to the village together. Juliana was a girl from the village who was friends with both Erikson sisters.

"Is there to be celebration?" Bella asked, her dark hair pulled into a braid while Halia's dark brown hair ran wild, much like her.

Halia nodded just as their brother Garrett joined them, his long black hair falling in his face. Garrett was the youngest boy of the family and was very hot blooded. Bella had lost track of all the fights she had had to pull him from.

"Did someone say celebration?" he smirked at his sisters. Garrett was a trouble maker and did not mix well with parties.

"Yes, it is Juliana's birthday soon. And no, you will not be attending. Nor will you, Halia. They have a tendency to get out of control and I do not wish for you two to get hurt if something is to go wrong," Bella told them, causing her young siblings to glare at her. "Shouldn't you be mucking out the stalls with Joseph, Garrett?" she added with a frown.

He shrugged. "It is already done. I just burned it," he said, causing Bella's frown to deepen.

"Garrett, that is using your powers for your own personal gain-" she started to say.

"'-And using your powers for personal gain goes against nature-'" Halia deadpanned.

"'-And going against nature sets off the balance-'" Garrett mocked.

"'-And setting off the balance can result in horrific consequences ," Joseph finished, walking up to his siblings. Bella glowered at all of her siblings for mocking the speech she had given too many times to count.

Joseph laughed at his younger sister's expression. "Oh, lighten up, Bella. If you keep frowning you'll wrinkle your pretty, young face," he teased as the group entered the village.

"Where are Adora, Gemma, and Adrian?" she questioned, pulling a bag of gold out. She had to buy food for their meals for the next week.

"Adora was playing nurse to mother when I left the house. Adrian is with Father, out getting payment for his weapons he sold. And Gemma is busy slapping Kol Mikaelson." Joseph gestured with his head to where the second oldest daughter of the Eriksons was, indeed, slapping Kol across the face, and it was still morning.

Gemma and Kol were very antagonistic to each other. Not a day went by where Kol did not say or do something to anger Gemma, and Gemma did not retaliate with physical or verbal hate. It had been that way since they were children.

Bella sighed and walked forward to get her sister. "Gemma, come now," she said quietly, grabbing her by the arm. With one last glare at Kol, Gemma huffed and stalked away. Bella gave Kol an apologetic look, which he returned with a wink, and followed her sister away.

"Gemma, you know better than to start retaliate to Kol," Bella started as soon as they were with Halia, Joseph, and Garrett.

"I cannot help it, Bella. I am no angel like you," Gemma snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. Then she flinched and looked at the hand she had slapped Kol with. Gemma had sprained her hand.

"Here," Halia said, gently placing her hands over her sister's injured hand. Closing her brown eyes in concentration, she healed Gemma's hand. Halia was a healer by nature.

When the pain went away and her injury was healed, Gemma pulled away and smiled at her youngest sister. "Thank you," she told her.

Halia nodded before her attention was grabbed by a vendor selling beautiful necklaces. She looked hopefully up at Bella, who sighed and nodded. It was hard to say no to Halia.

"Here," she said, giving Gemma a fair amount of gold. "Stay together," she told her sisters as they walked away.

She turned back to her brothers, but Joseph and Garrett were already walking away, talking about practicing sword fighting. "Be careful!" she called to them. Garrett rolled his eyes and Joseph waved his sister's words away.

Bella sighed and walked forward to buy wine from a vendor. She suddenly tripped over her own two feet and fell. Bella could have used her telekinesis to stop from falling, but someone caught her before she hit the ground.

"Are you alright?"

Bella felt her heart skip a beat, hearing that voice. She immediately pulled out of the man's arms and nodded. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she couldn't breathe, let alone talk. She bent down to pick up her gold that had fallen out of her bag. Elijah bent down to help her, and Bella cursed him for being such a gentleman. Though if he wasn't, she wouldn't like him as much as she did.

"Here," Elijah said, picking up all of the fallen gold and putting it back into her bag. Then he offered her a hand to help her up, but if Bella did so much as touch his hand, she would most likely pass out. So she stood up on her own and brushed off the skirt of her dress.

"Are you sure that you are alright, Bella?" he asked her, his brown eyes full of polite concern.

_Bella. _She decided that she loved the way he said her name. God, she was pathetic. She was completely head over heels for a man who had spoken only a few times to her, despite the fact that they had lived in the same village since birth.

Bella nodded, gulping slightly. Then she turned away from him and walked away, her heart still pounding away. She had been crushing on Elijah since as long as she could remember. He was polite, honorable, moral, and a real gentleman. He was also very aloof and had dozens of other girls in the village half in love with him. He didn't give them the time of day. The only woman he had eyes for was Tatia, and Bella was painfully aware of it.

Tatia had half of the men in the village trying to court her, including some of the Mikaelson and Erikson men. Bella used to call her a friend, but she found herself resenting her and her beauty that attracted so many men. Wasn't one enough?

Not for Tatia, though Bella had yet to realize it. Just one man for Tatia Petrova would never be enough.

"Ooh, I like that one!" Halia said, pushing her long locks out of her face.

Gemma sighed, impatient. "Just pick one Halia, so we can leave. I wish to go back to the pond," she said. Halia rolled her eyes; Gemma's power was control over water, and she barely ever left the pond.

"Look, it looks like Bella is literally falling for Elijah now," Halia pointed out, giggling. The only person who didn't know of her crush on Elijah was Elijah.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "I swear, Bella could have him if she just tried. She's convinced herself that he's in love with Tatia." She shook her head.

"What man in this village isn't in love with Tatia?" Halia countered, picking up a necklace with a pretty blue stone in the middle.

"Very true, sister," Gemma said, her eyes flicking over to Kol. She absolutely loathed him, but sometimes she found herself loathing the girls he would flirt with. There was a thin line between love and hate after all.

As Halia debated on buying the necklace, her eyes traveled over to Niklaus- brother to both Kol and Elijah. He was also a notorious womanizer. Bella was especially protective of Halia whenever Niklaus was around. She was sweet, innocent, naïve Halia- she was bound to fall for Niklaus and his charming words.

But Halia was more cunning than she seemed. She knew better than to let Niklaus talk her into letting him deflower her, as he had with so many other girls. Still, he was so nice to look at.

As if reading her mind, Niklaus caught her gaze and smirked at her. Halia stood her ground and smiled cheerfully back at him, disarming Klaus for one second. Then Halia turned back to her sister.

"I want this one, Gemma," she said, and Gemma paid the vendor for the necklace.

As the two walked away, Halia felt Niklaus's eyes on her. She didn't look back though- Adora had taught her that playing hard to get was the best way to get a suitor. Men were hunters, and they loved the chase.

Tatia was a few feet from Niklaus, talking to a few friends. But for the first time in his life, he didn't watch Tatia. He didn't smirk or wink at her. He didn't try to win her attention when there were so many other men trying to do the same. For the first time ever, Klaus's blue eyes were firmly on the fairy walking away from him. With just one smile, Halia Erikson had managed to switch his focus from Tatia onto her.

Sweet, innocent, naïve Halia was exactly what wild, mischievous, womanizing Niklaus needed.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **first chapter for the prequel to Love Me Forever! I apologize in advance for any historical inaccuracy. I'll try my best, but being accurate to the eleventh century is not my main goal.

Reviews are inspiring!

~Abby :)


	2. the caves

_Chapter two_

**The caves**

Bella had known of Elijah Mikaelson ever since she was born. They grew up in the same village and their fathers were rivals. Still, that did not stop Bella from falling for Elijah. He was older than her by a number of years, and his maturity was one of the things that attracted her to him. unlike a fair number of the boys in their village, he wasn't childish and immature. He was a man.

Bella first realized her crush on Elijah when she was thirteen. She was walking in the village with her mother, off to see Ester Mikaelson and trade herbs. Ester was a witch and she didn't seem to like Bella and her siblings. Bella's powers were just starting to appear, as were Joseph's. Gemma, Adrian, and Adora's powers had already developed. Halia and Garrett were still too young.

"_Come, Bella," Abigail said to her second youngest daughter. She was balancing a bowl of herbs in one hand and holding ten year old Halia's hand with the other._

"_I have her mother," Bella assured her frazzled looking mother. She hurried to catch up to the two and grabbed Halia's hand. The little girl beamed up at her big sister and let go of her mother's hand._

_Abigail smiled with gratitude at Bella. She was like a mini-mother, always helping her and taking care of her other siblings. She was a huge help. The three approached the Mikaelson home, and Bella distracted a fussy Halia while Abigail knocked on the door._

"_Shh, Hallie, if you're good, I'll talk Gemma and Joseph into taking us to the lake," Bella bribed with a small smile. Halia's face lit up and she was instantly quiet. The lake was her favorite place, as was it Gemma's._

_The door opened and an equally frazzled looking Ester opened the door, a three year old Henrik clutching to her dress. "Come in, Abigail, Halia… Bella," Ester said, moving aside to let the three in. Bella was only thirteen and already Ester could sense the power inside of her._

_Ester led the three into the kitchen, where a ten year old Rebekah and an fifteen year old Kol were. Kol was bugging Rebekah, and the blonde kept glaring at her brother. But as soon as she saw Halia, Rebekah beamed and ran up to her friend. Halia let go of her sister's hand and met her friend halfway._

"_Mother," Rebekah said to her mother. "May Halia and I-"_

_Ester nodded absentmindedly at her daughter, already going through the herbs Abigail had brought. The two young girls smiled and ran away._

"_Bella," Abigail said, looking up at her. "Can you-"_

_Bella nodded and followed the girls out of the house. "Halia, wait up!" she called, running to catch up to the two._

_Halia frowned. "Bella, Rebekah and I do not need you to babysit us," she informed her elder sister._

"_Mother told me to watch you, so I shall watch you," Bella said in a calm tone, making it clear that she wasn't going anywhere._

_Halia sighed and rolled her eyes at Rebekah, as if silently saying "aren't big siblings the worst?" Rebekah nodded sympathetically. She had four older brothers, she felt Halia's pain._

"_Come Hallie, I want to show you a cave Nik showed me," the blonde said happily, leading Halia away from the house. Halia followed as did Bella, but the raven haired girl was apprehensive._

"_Halia, I do not think that mother would want us to wander so far away," Bella started to say, but Halia silenced her with a glare._

"_You do not have to come, Bella," she said coldly, making it clear that she wanted to be with her friend by herself. Bella sighed and kept quiet the rest of the walk to the cave Rebekah was showing them. When they reached it, Bella stayed outside of the cave, as to not hover._

"_Yell if you come across danger," Bella told the two sternly. The girls nodded before running into the cave. Bella gnawed on her lip and sat down on the ground to wait for the two to return. She had a bad feeling about letting the ten year olds run into the caves by themselves._

_She hummed softly to herself as she waited in the quiet woods. It was cloudy, threatening rain. Bella loved the rain though. She wished for it to rain so that she could go splash in the puddles with Halia and Garrett. _

_Booming laughter broke the calm silence and Bella instantly stiffened. She knew that it was dangerous to be alone in the woods, and she had no means of defending herself against a wild animal or human being that threatened her._

_Bella relaxed when she saw the three oldest Mikaelson boys walking towards her; Finn, Niklaus, and Elijah. It seemed like the two oldest- Elijah and Finn- had taken Niklaus into the forest to teach him how to swordfight. Bella didn't doubt that Mikael had no clue about the training, and if he had, he would punish his sons severely- especially Niklaus. For some unknown reason, Mikael was especially cruel to Niklaus._

_The laughter stopped when the boys saw Bella. She smiled slightly in greeting, raising her hand to wave at them. She felt her heart start to beat faster, feeling Elijah's oak brown eyes on her. the men acknowledged her with nods, knowing who Bella was because Ester and Abigail were friends and Erik and Mikael were rivals._

_Bella looked down at the ground as the boys passed her. she was shy and self-conscious, especially when it came to boys. Suddenly, a scream echoing out of the cave caused Bella to jump up and sprint into the cave. She ignored the shouts of the boys, only thinking that Halia was hurt. Dear, sweet Halia, her baby sister._

"_Bella!" she heard a familiar voice sob, only making Bella run faster into the dark caves._

"_I'm coming, Halia!" she shouted back. Bella hit her head constantly, making her way into the dark cave. Her head throbbed as she ran, but Bella ignored it. Her lungs burned, but she ignored it too. Soon she entered a small room in the cave, lit by a single torch._

_The first thing Bella saw was blood. she did not know what had happened, but both Rebekah and Halia were crying and were bloody. Bella ran to her little sister and pulled her into her arms. She gasped for air, her lungs and chest burning as she pushed Halia's hair out of her face soothingly._

"_Shh, what happened Hallie?" she asked, looking over to Rebekah. The blonde was sniffling, uninjured. It was Halia's blood that stained her dress._

"_I-I just wanted to reach the top, Bella. But then I fell," Halia bawled into her sister's dress. She had been trying to touch the top of the wall, for reasons only children knew, when she fell, breaking her leg and giving her a huge wound on it. _

"_Shh, Halia. You're okay, sweetheart," Bella soothed, before ripping a strip off of her dress and wrapping the wound on Halia's leg with it. _

"_Can you walk, Hallie?" she asked her softly, brushing her tears away._

_Halia shook her head. "It hurts, Bella," she whimpered._

"_What happened here?"_

_Bella looked up to see Elijah running to them. She met his gaze, as he looked from her, to Halia, to his own sister. "Halia hurt herself," she answered in an even voice._

"_I can carry her," he offered, and Bella was suddenly jealous of her little sister. Still, she helped him pick her up._

_The four walked out of the cave, Rebekah murmuring soothing things to her sniffling friend in her brother's arms. Bella walked next to Elijah, holding her little sister's hand silently._

"_Were you supposed to be watching them?" Elijah asked her in a calm, stoic voice. _

_Bella nodded. "It was foolish of me, to let them be alone," she answered in a small, quiet voice._

"_It was," he agreed, nodding once._

_As soon as they walked out of the cave, Ester and Abigail rushed to them. Bella figured that Niklaus and Finn had told them about the screaming. "What happened?" Abigail demanded, taking her daughter out of Elijah's arms._

"_Halia fell in the caves." Bella gulped as she explained, expecting punishment for not watching Rebekah and Halia carefully._

"_Were you not with them, Bella?" Abigail stared at her daughter accusingly._

"_I was," Elijah said suddenly. "It is my fault that Halia is hurt."_

_Bella opened her mouth to argue, but he silenced her with a look. "Elijah," Ester said, eyes wide. "How could you be so careless?"_

_Elijah hung his head, taking the blame for something he had not done. Bella frowned slightly at him. why had he done that for her? _

_That was the exact moment Bella's crush on Elijah Mikaelson had started._

Bella walked home from the market alone, only to run into Adrian and Adora. They were the oldest boy and girl of the Erikson family. The two were very close, like twins. They also had similar personalities. They were both leaders- leaders of the fairies. they were both cool, calm, and a little bossy. And both of them loved power. Bella loved Adrian and Adora, but sometimes they scared her with all their talk about fairies becoming more powerful than any werewolf or witch.

"Where are you two going?" Bella asked, the supplies she had bought at the market in her arms.

"Off to the caves," Adora answered vaguely. The two had been secretive lately, and spending a lot of time in the caves.

"Oh, well be careful. And be home for lunch!" Bella called to them as they left. She sighed and walked into her home. She set down her goods in the kitchen before walking to her mother's bedchamber. Abigail was in her bed, like always. She was silent and just gazed up at the ceiling, making no sound.

Abigail was beautiful, back in her day. She had bright blonde hair, like Adora's. but that blonde hair had turned prematurely gray, due to the illness that plagued her. she had bright green eyes, matching Bella's. she was short and small, like all of her daughters.

Bella frowned sadly at her mother, before pulling a chair up to her bedside. Before she had fallen ill, Bella and Abigail were very close. She would help her mother cook and clean and tell her all about her powers and what it was like, being a fairy. Abigail was thrilled, that her children were gifted. She used to say that she knew they were special, back when she could speak.

"I made a fool out of myself today, mother," Bella said quietly. Abigail gave no sign that she could even hear Bella. "In front of Elijah, no less."

Bella tended to do this every few days, talking to her vegetable of a mother. She liked to keep her up to date with her life, with their whole family's life. Even if Abigail couldn't hear her, she found it calming to talk to her.

"I tripped and fell right into his arms, spilling all of my gold. He helped me pick it up, of course, but I lost my ability to speak to him. I felt like such a fool, I embarrassed myself so badly. I can't even imagine what he thinks of me now." Bella sighed, blushing at the memory.

"But then again, I am half-in love with a man who barely knows I exist, so how much more pathetic can I get?" she said lightly, though the words were true. "I love the way he says my name, mother. When I get bored, I picture what our children would look like. They usually look like him, but our little girl has my eyes, in my mind." Bella knew how pathetic she was, and imagining her and Elijah's nonexistent kids just made it worse.

Bella sighed and pushed her bangs out of her face. "If Tatia did not exist, I like to think that I would have a chance with him. but no woman has a chance with a man in this village, so long as Tatia remains without a suitor," Bella said, playing with her sleeve.

Abigail did not answer, but Bella didn't expect her to. She was just there to listen, all she could do was listen. "I should start on lunch, mother," Bella said after a few silent moments, standing up.

Suddenly, Abigail grabbed Bella's arm, the first movement she had made in years. Her grip was very feeble, and her gaze did not move from a spot on the ceiling. Bella held her breath, waiting for Abigail to do or say something. She didn't.

She sighed and quietly pulled her arm free from her mother's grip. She didn't know what to think of her mother's sudden action, if it meant that she was slowly getting better. Bella didn't want to get her hopes up, so she turned around and walked out of her mother's bedchamber. She had lunch to prepare.

Bella let her thoughts wander as she prepared her family's meal. She thought about her and Elijah's nonexistent children. That was pretty sad and pathetic on her part, she had to admit. But Bella swore to herself that if and when she had a daughter- with or without Elijah- she would have her green eyes and her name would be Abigail.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: kk for the first review of the story!

Review!

~Abby :)


	3. the suitor

_Chapter three_

**The suitor**

As soon as Bella was finished with lunch, her family returned home. She had Halia serve the meal as she busied herself with pouring wine. Erik was the last to come home, but he was not alone. A young man around Adrian's age was with him, and Bella did not recognize him.

"This is Jon Karlson," Erik introduced the stranger. "Jon, these are my children; you met Adrian, Adora, Gemma, Joseph, Bella, Garrett, and Halia." He pointed each one out as he spoke.

Jon nodded and Bella noticed that his gaze lingered on the girls. Gemma, Adora, Halia, and Bella did not have suitors yet, despite how old they were getting. Sooner or later they would have to be courted, and Erik would have to accept an offer of marriage made from a man for one of his daughters.

"Jon is from a neighboring village and we have been doing business this morning," Erik informed his children as they sat down at the table. Jon stared at Bella for a moment before speaking, causing her to shift uncomfortably. Bella had a very strong intuition, especially about people- it was a part of her gift- and she had a bad feeling about Jon.

"Yes, Your father makes excellent weapons," Jon said, taking a sip of his wine. Erik smirked with pride at that. both he and Mikael made and sold weapons. That was the biggest reason why they were rivals, along with the fact that both of them were very prideful.

Bella ate her lunch quickly, trying her best to ignore the leers she got from Jon. He and Erik made polite conversation, Adrian and Joseph jumping in every now and then. As soon as they were excused, Bella told Gemma and Garrett to clean off the table while she and Halia washed the dishes. Erik and Adrian left, taking Jon with them. Bella was glad that he was gone, and would be happy if she never saw him again.

"If you are just going to stand there, you can help us, Joseph. You too, Adora," Bella called to her two siblings who were just standing there, watching them clean up.

"I do not care for that man, Jon," Joseph said bluntly, not moving to help. "He was watching all of you like you were pieces of meat- especially you, Bella."

"I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes," Halia said, shuddering slightly.

"He did not have the most pleasant thoughts," Adora said, her blonde hair falling in her eyes. Adora's gift was having access to a person's mind. She could read a person's mind if she focused hard enough, but she could also plant thoughts and images into their heads as well. Bella didn't approve of Adora's gift because she invaded people's privacy.

Bella frowned at her older sister. "You went digging in his head?" she asked.

"Bella, you know that I cannot always control it," Adora said in her slightly patronizing tone that she always used.

"Yes, but I doubt that your loss of control was the reason you went into his mind, sister," Bella retorted, washing a stack of dishes at once, using her telekinesis.

Adora smirked mischievously. "You would be right on that one, sister," she said, causing Halia to giggle. Halia idolized Adora, and it annoyed Bella sometimes. Not because she was jealous, but because Adora was not always the best role model.

Just then Garrett and Gemma walked into the room, having overheard the conversation. "What was Jon thinking, dare I ask sister?" Gemma asked, a look on her facing saying that she didn't really want to know.

"Well, he bought a lot of father's weapons because he heard that he had beautiful daughters and he is in need of a wife. He is a nobleman in the village he comes from. He thought that Halia was too young for his tastes-" Halia sighed in relief. "-He thought that Gemma's mouth was not worth her beauty-" Gemma smirked at that. "-So he was torn between Bella and I. he thought that I was very beautiful-" Adora smirked haughtily. "-But that Bella seemed more like the submissive housewife he is in need of."

Bella frowned at that. she was very motherly and, indeed, had taken over her mother's household duties, but she was in no way submissive. Bella had very strong backbone, and if you pushed her too far, she was going to push back.

"Is he aware of our powers?" Garrett asked, not looking to thrilled about the idea of one of his sisters marrying that pig.

Adora shook her head. "He has no idea. Even here, the villagers are not completely aware of our powers."

"Does father have any plans to let him court one of us?" Halia asked.

She shrugged. "I shall check the next time I am with father."

Normally Bella would be against Bella digging inside of a person's head- especially their father's- but she had to know if he was to let Jon court her. she did not want to spend her life with him, give birth to his children, and not just because of Elijah. She did not like Jon one bit.

"I get a bad feeling off of that man," Bella said quietly, putting the dishes away.

Joseph raised an eyebrow. "What kind of feeling, Bella?" he asked.

"He is not a good man," she said bluntly. "I know that if one of us marries him, we will not have a happy ending. I am sure of it."

"Then one of us shall not marry him," Adora said simply, before standing up again. "I am off to the caves."

Everyone watched Adora leave, wondering what went on in the caves. "I am going to pay a visit to Tatia," Bella said, walking towards the door. "Gemma, you and Joseph are to wash the clothes."

"Bella," Joseph whined. "That is not a man's job."

She fixed her older brother with a glare. "It is a man's job if that man wishes to eat," she snapped before leaving.

Tatia and Bella were friends, but Bella found her haughtiness unbearable sometimes. Tatia was beautiful and she knew it, too. She used her looks to get things sometimes, but Bella knew that one day, her beauty was going to come back to bite her in the arse.

"Bella!" Tatia smiled as she opened the door, holding her baby girl in her arms. Flora was only a few months old, but she already had her mother's good looks.

"She is so beautiful, Tatia." Bella smiled down at the child, her big brown eyes matching her eyes. Bella did not know who or where her father was, only that Tatia was no longer seeing him, hence the dozen of suitors she had.

Tatia smiled lovingly down at her daughter as she ushered Bella inside. "Isn't she?" she said, before putting her child down in her crib.

"When will you have a child, Bella?" Tatia asked curiously after Flora had fallen asleep.

Bella blushed. "One needs a man to have a child, Tatia," Bella reminded her friend.

"So? You are not short of suitors, Bella. Just pick one and be done with it," Tatia told her, her dark curls falling in her face.

_You should take your own advice, _Bella thought, but she didn't say it out loud. Her eyebrows furrowed at her friend's words. "What do you mean?"

Tatia rolled her eyes. "Do you not notice the men who stare at you, Bella? You are not ugly, nor are your sisters. You can have your pick of men in this village," she told her.

_Not so long as you exist, Tatia, _she thought bitterly. Bella only wanted one man, and that man wanted Tatia. Tatia didn't know about Bella's minor obsession with Elijah, because it was so obvious that he had a minor obsession with her.

Bella just shrugged. "If you say so."

"Just look hard the next time you are walking through the village," Tatia told her with a small smile.

"Are you attending Juliana's birthday celebration?" Bella asked her to change the subject.

"I do not know. I must find someone to watch Flora," Tatia said.

"I will," Bella offered.

She shook her head. "No, you must attend, Bella. You need to have more fun," Tatia told her.

"You sound like my siblings," Bella muttered. She had no wish to attend the celebration.

"Yes, because it is painfully obvious that you do not let go enough," Tatia retorted.

Bella sighed, knowing that she would be forced to go, especially by Gemma. Her sister lived for celebrations, and Bella would have to attend just to make sure that none of her siblings got into trouble.

After talking with Tatia for another hour, Bella walked back to her home. As she walked through the village, she couldn't help but to look hard at the men in the village, like Tatia had told her to. Some were, in fact, looking at her. they looked away then she caught them staring, though.

Bella felt her confidence rise, knowing that some of the local village men fancied her. she smiled to herself, and walked with her head held high. She started to understand why Tatia was so confident and loved men fawning over her. it made you feel good.

"Bella! Come here!"

Halia was sitting at the base of the great white oak in the middle of their village. Bella walked over to her, to notice her playing with the little purple flowers at the base of the tree. "Aren't they pretty?" she asked her sister with a small smile.

"They are called vervain, Hallie. And yes, they are," Bella said, sitting down next to her sister.

Halia frowned. "Vervain isn't a very pretty name," she said.

"It has powerful magical properties, though," Bella said, moving behind Halia and combing through her wild brown hair.

Bella started braiding her sister's hair, and Halia smiled slightly. "You haven't braided my hair since we were children," she said nostalgically

"You are still a child to me, Halia," Bella told her sister.

She frowned. "Yes, I know. I find it very annoying, by the way."

Bella laughed. "You are my baby sister, Hallie, I will always see you as such," she said in a light tone.

"Can you not call me Hallie? It makes me sound so babyish," Halia said, picking a few of the purple flowers.

"Have you not been listening to a word I have been saying, Hallie?" Bella asked as she finished her braid. Then she picked some of the vervain and put it into her hair. "There, all done." She smiled proudly.

Bella stood up and brushed off her dress. She looked around the village to see the village people going about their day. But there was one man who was looking at her, one familiar man who made Bella's palms sweat and her heart race.

Elijah smiled slightly at Bells from across the village before running to catch up to Finn and Kol. Bella's eyes widened slightly, before she beamed at his retreating figure. Beside her, Halia rolled her eyes and shook her head at her sister.

"You are absolutely pathetic, Bella," she told her.

Yes, she was. but for the first time, Bella didn't care. For the first time, Bella thought that she had an actual chance with Elijah Mikaelson. And that was all Bella needed.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **reviews are inspiring!

~Abby :D


	4. the celebration

_Chapter four_

**The celebration**

"Bella, are you ready?"

Bella groaned. She didn't want to go to this celebration- it wasn't her to get drunk and flirt and dance with boys. She preferred to stay home and practice with her powers, which was why everyone insisted that she needed to get out more and have more fun.

"Do I have to go, Gemma?" she whined, running her hand over the furs she used as blankets. She was sitting on her bed, wearing one of her best dresses, like Gemma insisted she'd do. It was uncomfortable and tight, and Adora had spent hours on her hair. She felt like this was all for nothing. Why even try when every man in the village would be staring at Tatia.

"Yes, you do," her sister said firmly, yanking her off of her bed. "It will be fun Bella, trust me."

"Our opinions on fun very, Gemma," Bella told her as she pulled her out of the bedroom she shared with Halia.

"Elijah will be there," Gemma said with a knowing smirk.

"Great, so Bella will spend the entire time staring at him," Adora said, walking up to her two sisters. Adora looked nothing like her other sisters. While Halia, Gemma, and Bella all looked related with their fair skin and dark hair, Adora had golden locks and tanned skin.

"I will not!" Bella said with a frown. "I swear, I do not fancy Elijah Mikaelson as much as all of you think I do."

"Please sister." Adora rolled her eyes. "You are half in love with that man. It's obvious to everyone except Elijah."

"Dear god, I hope so." Bella shuddered with embarrassment just thinking about Elijah finding out about her crush.

"Come, let us go. I want to get there before all the good wine is taken," Gemma said, pulling her siblings towards the door.

"Have fun you four," Adrian called to his sisters as Joseph joined them.

"Why do you get to miss out on the celebration?" Bella asked, frowning. It wasn't fair- Adrian hated these things as much as she did.

"Because I have a life outside of this family, Bella," her eldest brother retorted, earning a glare.

"Just make sure Garrett and Halia do not try to join us, alright?" Bella told him firmly. Her youngest siblings were still angry at her for not letting them go to the celebration.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "I do not see why you insist they stay behind, but I shall make sure that they do not try to go," he said, before walking to his room.

It was night out as the four siblings walked through the woods to get to the main part of the village, by the white oak tree. Joseph stood in front of his sisters as if to protect them from any wild animal or person. They did not have to worry about werewolves until the full moon, which was in a few weeks.

There was a roaring bonfire casting a glow over the village as Bella, Gemma, Adora, and Joseph approached the celebration. The sound of laughter and chatter filled the air, along with music. People were already starting to get rowdy, and Bella frowned slightly.

"We stay together, alright?" she told her siblings.

All of them rolled their eyes at her. "Relax Bella, you worry too much," Joseph said to his sister before walking away to join his friends.

"You need a drink," Gemma said, before dragging Bella along to get them wine. Adora had vanished into the crowd, probably going to find her own friends.

"No, someone needs to remain sober tonight, Gemma," Bella said firmly, refusing the goblet that was handed to her.

"And it shall not be me." Gemma smirked as she drank her wine. Bella rolled her eyes at her older sister.

"Sometimes I question who is older, Gemma," Bella told her sister.

"Just because I am older than you does not mean that I cannot have fun, Bella," Gemma retorted, getting more wine.

Bella rolled her eyes before deciding to get her own goblet. It was going to be a long night if she were to remain completely sober. "Yes!" Gemma cheered. "A few more glasses and you will be the life of the party, Bella."

She rolled her eyes again. "Do not count on it," she said dryly, before pulling her sister away from the wine. "What do we do now?" she asked.

It was Gemma's turn to roll her eyes. "Now we socialize, Bella. We have fun," she said slowly, mocking her.

Bella glared. "I know what fun is, Gemma," she told her.

"You could have fooled me," Gemma muttered, sipping her wine.

Bella glared before marching away. She would show all her siblings that she could have fun. "Bella, where are you going?" Gemma sighed before following her.

She ignored her sister and kept walking. She didn't notice a rock in the ground and tripped over it while walking. Bella stumbled and would have fallen forward if she hadn't fallen into a chest instead. Strong arms steadied her and a familiar chuckle greeted her.

"We should stop meeting like this, Bella." Bella closed her eyes, every part of her freezing at that voice. Her heart started pounding her chest and she slowly looked up to meet brown eyes.

_Say something, anything, _she urged herself. _He's going to think that you are not physically capable of speaking._

Bella opened her mouth but nothing came out. Elijah was just staring at her, expecting her to respond. Her green eyes widened as she stood in front of him, mouth open. _Run away! Run far, far away! _Her instincts screamed at her.

She started to turn around, but thankfully Gemma was at her side. "I apologize for my sister and her clumsiness," she said to Elijah smoothly Bella had never loved her sister more than she did at that moment.

"It is alright," Elijah said easily, frowning slightly at Bella. She was sure that she was as red as a tomato.

"Excuse us, we must find Adora," Gemma said, wrapping her hand around Bella's wrist and pulling her away. As soon as they were far enough away, Bella stopped them and buried her face in her sister's shoulder.

"Please, kill me now," she moaned. "Put me out of my misery."

"I do not understand why you freeze up around him. He is just another human being, nothing more," Gemma said, sighing exasperatedly.

"He's also the same human being I've had a crush on since I was thirteen!" Bella shot back. "The same human being who is in love with Tatia."

"Just talk to him, Bella," her sister urged.

"I seem to lose my ability to talk when I'm around him, Gemma," Bella reminded her sister.

"Don't look at him when you're talking. Focus on the ground or the fire, it will make it less scary for you," Gemma said, before pushing her away. "Now go talk to him!"

Bella smoothed down her hair and dress before walking slowly towards where Elijah was, Niklaus at his side. Niklaus seemed drunk and was winking at every woman that passed him. Elijah seemed amused yet disapproving of his brother at the same time.

Niklaus followed a young blonde girl away from his brother, giving Bella the perfect opening. With bravery that she didn't know she had, she walked right up to the spot Niklaus had vacated seconds before. Elijah raised his eyebrows when he saw her, but Bella kept her gaze firmly on the ground.

"Hello," he said, bemused.

She took a deep breath, her heart racing in her chest. "Hello," she said in a clear voice. Bella beamed at the ground, proud of herself.

The corner of Elijah's mouth turned upward "I believe that that is the first thing you have said to me in five years," he said in a slightly teasing tone.

"Four. It is the first thing I have said to you in four years," Bella said defensively, keeping her gaze on the ground. It seemed that Elijah's brown eyes were the problem; whenever they were on her, she couldn't speak.

"Mumbling nonsense does not count, Bella," Elijah told her, causing Bella to look up at him. This was a mistake- once those brown eyes met hers, she felt her throat close up. His eyes were full of amusement and a half smile was visible on Elijah's lips.

Bella instantly looked away and took deep breaths. There had to be some sort of enchantment on his eyes that made her act this way. "I was not mumbling, you just were not listening to me," Bella argued, her gaze on the fire.

Elijah scoffed. "I always listen to you, Bella," he muttered under his breath, before his eyes widened, realizing what he had said.

Her green eyes widened at his words and she looked up again. Before Bella could say something intensely awkward, there was a shout and the sound one might hear when a drink is thrown into a person's face. Both looked away from each other to see Kol soaked in wine and Gemma glaring at him, an empty goblet in her hand.

"Oh no," both said at the same time, before running to break the two up. Kol's eyes were narrowed at Gemma and the fairy looked ready to drown him with water using her power.

"Gemma, come on," Bella said, grabbing her sister and tugging her away.

"Kol, do not do anything rash," Elijah said, holding his brother back.

"What is _wrong _with _you?" _Kol growled at Gemma, ignoring his brother. "A man compliments you and you throw a drink in his face? It is no wonder why you do not have a husband."

Gemma's face flushed before she glared at him. "Then it is no wonder why a pig like _you _is without a wife!" she retorted, as Bella struggled to hold her back.

"Gemma, you are making a scene," Bella whispered fiercely, very aware of everyone watching the fight unfolding.

"Yes _Gemma, _run along," Kol taunted, a twisted smirk on his lips.

"Kol, stop antagonizing her," Elijah scolded his brother.

"Oh, go have sex with your reflection, you arrogant, narcissistic bastard!" Gemma screamed.

Joseph appeared at Gemma's other side, gripping his older sister's arm firmly. "Gemma, just walk away," he told her.

Gemma huffed before pulling away from both of her siblings and storming off. Bella sighed and looked longingly at Elijah as he chided his brother. She was finally having a nice, decent conversation with the man her dreams, and then one of Gemma and Kol's fights ruined it. She sighed again before following her sister away from the celebration.

"What did he say, Gemma?" Bella asked, catching up with her sister by the oak tree.

"He had the nerve to say that I looked beautiful tonight," Gemma said angrily, and Bella raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, how dare he? Did he kiss your hand too? Because then you should've punched him," Bella said sarcastically, and Gemma glared at her.

"It is Kol, Bella! He did not mean it! He was just trying to mess with my head," Gemma argued, turning to face the giant tree.

"Or, as crazy as it sounds, he thought that you looked beautiful tonight and you overreacted," Bella said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do not be foolish, Bella," Gemma snapped. "Kol has never said one nice thing in his life, let alone to me."

Bella sighed; there was no point in arguing with Gemma about Kol's possible feelings for her. To change the subject, Bella told her sister about her conversation with Elijah. "I actually spoke to him without vomiting Gemma!" she exclaimed with pride.

"I bet that he was grateful for that," she said dryly.

Bella ignored her sister's teasing and grinned to herself. Talking with Elijah was not scary at all- she liked it a lot, in fact. Bella would talk to him more often, she promised herself. Little did Gemma and Bella know, they were not the only Erikson sisters who had a conversation with a Mikaelson boy. In fact, all four did- two with the same boy.

Halia walked with Garrett through the forest, heading towards the celebration. It had been easy, sneaking past Adrian. Their eldest brother had not been doing a very good job at watching them and making sure that they did not sneak out.

"Make sure that Bella does not see you- she'll drag us back if she does," Halia warned her brother. He nodded and the two split up when they reached the celebration.

Halia looked for Rebekah through the crowd of people, though she doubted that she had been allowed to attend. Her gaze settled instead on another Mikaelson, this one drunk and male. Niklaus met Halia's brown eyes with his blue ones, and a drunken smirk made its way onto his mouth.

With a rush of bravery, Halia decided to walk up to him. Bella would not approve, nor would she approve of Halia being there in the first place. Little did she know, her eldest sister was walking up to Niklaus at the same time she was, her eyes and heart set on him. Adora had secretly been crushing on Niklaus for weeks, though no one had noticed because she was much better at hiding her crush than Bella.

Adora suddenly stopped walking when she saw Halia approach Niklaus. Her youngest sister flashed her charming smile and batted her long eyelashes, and Adora just knew that by the end of the night, Niklaus was going to be wrapped around Halia's finger.

Well, Adora would just have to put a stop to that.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: vdemily, pat bennett, and HoneyGee08 for reviewing!

Reviews are inspiring!

~Abby :)


	5. the tree

**Chapter five**

_The tree_

"Hello Niklaus," Halia greeted him, a sweet and naïve smile on her lips.

Halia was the type of girl that Niklaus usually preyed on. She was trusting- too trusting. But yet, as Klaus smirked drunkenly at her, he found it hard to sweet talk his way into deflowering her. there was just something so disarming about her big brown eyes, her bright smile. He couldn't do it.

"Halia," he said, pressing a sloppy kiss to the back of her hand.

She giggled. "You are drunk, are you not, Niklaus?" she asked him.

An easy smirk made its way onto his lips. "Shh, do not tell," he said, pressing a finger to his lips.

"If I do no give it away, you will," she countered.

Klaus grinned, and his blue eyes wandered from Halia to Tatia. She was standing next to the roaring fire, a group of friends surrounding her. men openly stared at her, women openly glared at her. Tatia was beautiful and charming and kind. He loved her, but so did half the men in the village- his closest brother included. He loved her, but he did not love how estranged he and Elijah were becoming because of her.

Halia noticed who he was staring at and sighed. "I know that it makes me sound jealous of her beauty, but I do not like that girl," she said bitterly.

Niklaus tore his gaze away from Tatia to stare down at Halia. "You do not?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

Halia pursed her lips slightly before answering. "I believe that she enjoys her beauty too much, she enjoys stringing along men too much," she said. "I know that she is a good mother and not a terrible person, but the fact that she enjoys turning friends and brothers against one another for her love makes me question her character."

Halia gave Niklaus a meaningful look while thinking about her own brothers, Adrian and Joseph specifically. They had not come to blows yet, more like making snide remarks at each other because of Tatia. Halia didn't hate Tatia for attracting brothers and turning them against each other- that was out of her control- she hated Tatia for liking that she had control over men like that.

"You think that I am foolish for letting my love for Tatia get between Elijah and me?" Niklaus asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Friends and lovers will come and go, but, in the end, family will always remain," Halia said simply, her brown eyes full of shameless honesty.

He nodded slightly, considering her words. she wasn't nearly as innocent and naïve as people thought she was. she was smart and wise too, Niklaus learned. There were many sides to Halia Erikson, and Niklaus found himself craving to learn more about the young girl.

"Would you care to take a walk with me, Halia?" he asked suddenly, ignoring the half empty goblet of wine in his hand.

A smile formed on her lips. "I would love to," she said. "Lead the way."

Klaus set aside his goblet and led the young fairy into the woods, his only goal to find out the other sides of Halia Erikson.

Bella's eyes scanned the party for Elijah, while keeping Gemma within her line of sight, in case she decided to attack Kol with no good reason again. Of course keeping her sister under control was higher on her list of priorities than flirting with Elijah, because for Bella, family trumped everything else in her life.

"Happy Birthday Juliana," Bella said to her friend with a smile. Juliana grinned sloppily back, her bright red hair visible even in the night.

"Did you see the man from the neighboring village yet?" she asked, swaying drunkenly next to Bella.

Bella raised an eyebrow at her. "Who is he? What is his name?" she asked.

"Hmm… Jon, I think. Jon something," Juliana replied, her eyes scanning the celebration for him. "I hear that he is here in search of a wife."

Bella stiffened. Juliana meant Jon Karlson, the man who was not a good one, Bella was sure of it. "Stay away from him, Juliana," Bella hissed at her friend, her eyes full of fear.

"Why? Do you wish to have him for yourself Bella?" Juliana asked, her eyes narrowed.

She shook her head fiercely. "Jon is not a good man, Juliana. Whatever woman ends up being his wife, she will not have a pleasant end."

"Oh, this is a part of your powers, is it not?" Juliana asked, her blue eyes widening slightly. Bella nodded in confirmation.

"Just trust me, Juliana. Please," she said, before walking away to make sure that her siblings were okay, all the while keeping her eye out for Jon.

She found Gemma with Joseph, drunk out of her mind. Bella sighed in exasperation before rushing to her sister's side. "How could you let this happen, Joseph?" she asked her brother accusingly, keeping a steady grip on a swaying Gemma.

"It is not my fault! I found her like this!" Joseph said defensively.

Bella sighed again, as Gemma mumbled incoherent words, resting her head on her sister's shoulder. "I shall take her home," Bella said, wrapping an arm around Gemma so that she could half carry her, half drag her home.

"No. you shall stay here at enjoy yourself, Bella," Joseph said firmly, taking Gemma from his little sister.

She sighed but decided not to argue. "Fine. Be careful," she said as they walked away. "And Joseph?" she called to her retreating brother. "Father need not know about this."

He nodded in agreement before disappearing into the woods. Bella went to make sure Adora was okay, and found her with other village girls. Satisfied that her family was safe, Bella decided to work up her courage again and find Elijah. That's when the second brawl of the night broke out.

Bella craned her neck to see two men fighting, her eyes narrowing when she saw how familiar one of them was. _"Garrett," _she hissed, storming towards the two boys.

"Do not dare say that about my family!" he growled at the man he was fighting, before a ring of fire suddenly formed around the man, threatening to burn him alive.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you even here? Stop it now!" Bella demanded, glaring at her younger brother.

Garrett ignored her, focusing his gaze on the ring of fire surrounding the man he had been fighting. Bella sighed before waving her hand at the fire and it went out at once.

"_Hey!" _Garrett snapped, glaring at Bella.

"Walk away, Garrett. You know what Father said would happen if you got into another fight," Bella reminded her brother, pushing him away.

"_Yes Garrett," _the man mocked Bella, smirking at Garrett. "Run along with your little whore of a sister."

Bella glared at the man, her eyes narrowing. She was not a whore- she was still a virgin. Garrett lunged for the man, fire blazing in his eyes. "You call her that again and I shall burn you alive!" he shouted, the bonfire suddenly growing and a bush burst into flames.

"_Enough!" _Bella snapped again, raising her hands to send her brother flying off of the pig of a man who had had the nerve to call her a whore. But before she could, Garrett was ripped off of the man, and a sword was placed at the man's throat.

"Do _not _call her that again," a familiar voice said a calm, firm, and dark voice. Bella pulled Garrett away as the bush on fire extinguished itself and the bonfire went back to its normal size.

"Yes Elijah," the man said, his eyes wide with fear. He gulped slightly, the tip of the sword digging into his skin just below his Adam's apple.

Elijah removed his sword and turned to face Bella and Garrett. She smiled softly at him and nodded her thanks. Elijah nodded back as she and Garrett turned and walked away.

"What are you even doing here?" she demanded, glaring at her little brother, though she was touched by his loyalty to her.

Garrett sighed, trying to calm his anger. "I snuck out," he admitted.

"I suppose that Halia is with you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She was going to yell at Adrian when she got home.

He nodded and Bella sighed. "Alright, go get Adora and go home. I shall find Halia and we shall return home," she said, pushing her brother away.

Garrett sighed, but knew better than to push Bella any farther than she had already been pushed. He set off to find his other sister while Bella went to find their youngest sibling.

Halia wasn't anywhere in the village, so Bella assumed that she had taken off into the woods. Without a second thought. She walked into the woods, searching for her sister. "Halia?" she called, her eyes scanning through the darkness.

Suddenly, Bella was slammed against the white oak tree and a hand covered her mouth so that she couldn't scream. Bella's eyes widened in fear as a hand ran up beneath her dress. She squeezed her thighs tighter together and started struggling.

"_Help!" _she shouted against the hand covering her mouth, before biting down on it. The man howled in pain, before the blade of a sword was pressed against her jugular. She stopped all movement in fear.

"_Make another move or say another word and I shall slit your throat," _a voice whispered in her ear, his hot breath on her face. Bella recognized that voice, and her heart started pounding in her chest. Jon.

Bella raised her hands to send him flying away, but she found that she couldn't. her powers weren't working. Her eyebrows furrowed as Jon's grubby hands worked up her body. Why weren't her powers working?

Bella looked down to see that she was standing in a patch of vervain, the purple flower visible in the night. did the flower with strong magical properties have anything to do with why her powers weren't working?

Bella's breath caught as Jon pressed his hot mouth against hers, his sword still pressed against her throat. She so badly wanted to kick him away, but Jon would kill her if she did.

Bella was doomed.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: Stephenie meyers for reviewing!

Reviews are love :)

~Abby!


	6. the savior

**Chapter six**

_The savior_

Suddenly, Jon was ripped off of Bella, the sword grazing the pale skin of her neck and drawing blood. the wound wasn't deep, though. She gasped and pressed her sleeve to her wound, watching her savior pin down Jon with his foot and press his sword against his throat.

"_How dare you?" _Elijah growled, fury in his brown eyes. _"How dare you try to rape her?"_

It wasn't an uncommon thing, rape. Viking men had a tendency to do anything to get what they wanted, and Viking women weren't treated very well. Still, it went against Elijah's morals, rape. It wasn't honorable at all, and it disgusted him.

Jon struggled, but Elijah's anger fueled his strength. He pressed his sword tighter against his throat, drawing blood. "Elijah, let him go," Bella said suddenly, her crimson blood staining her dress.

His brown eyes met her green ones, and he frowned at her. Elijah had yet to take a life, but he wouldn't mind killing Jon. That monster deserved it. He would be saving many women if he just slit his throat right then and there. "Bella-" he started to argue.

"Please? Can you please just take me home?" she asked him, completely ignoring Jon.

Elijah sighed but nodded. He pulled his sword away from Jon, but kicked him swiftly in the head, knocking him out. With one last look of disgust, he looked at Bella, taking in the blood trailing down her neck.

"I shall just have Halia heal it when I find her," Bella said dismissively, seeing the look in his eyes. "Do you happen to know where she is?"

"She and Niklaus walked into the woods some time ago. That's how I found you. I was looking for Niklaus and then I heard you screaming…" Elijah trailed off and Bella smiled thankfully, her heart racing.

"I am glad that you did," she said honestly, stilling smiling. Elijah couldn't help but notice how her bright green eyes lit up and her nose crinkled when she smiled. He couldn't help but to smile back.

"You wish for me to escort you home?" Elijah asked, not taking his eyes off of her. Bella's cheeks flushed with pink, and she looked away, hiding behind her dark hair.

"Yes, if it would not trouble you. You have already done so much for me tonight," she said in a soft voice, forgetting that she should be looking for Halia.

"No, I do not mind," Elijah said quickly. "Shall we find our siblings first, though?"

Bella nodded, and stepped out of the vervain. She would tell her siblings about the plant later, and together they would explore why the flower weakened them. Elijah and Bella walked silently into the woods. He had his sword out and ready to attack, and Bella's hands were ready to use her telekinesis if necessary.

"So, the rumors are true, are they not? You and your brothers and sisters have powers," Elijah said after a few silent minutes.

Bella nodded, keeping pressure on her neck wound. She was lucky that her sister was a healer, or it might've been fatal- from either infection or blood loss, she didn't know. "We do," she agreed. "And your mother is a witch, as is her friend, Ayana. They do not care for my family very much, do they?"

Elijah shook his head slightly. "I get the feeling that they do not. Whenever one of you is brought up, my mother always purses her lips and says something vague, like 'that family goes against nature.' She never explains, though."

"And our fathers loath each other. I am waiting for the day that they finally kill each other," Bella continued, pointing out the things that made their families enemies, pointing out to herself the things that made it unwise and even slightly dangerous to like Elijah Mikaelson.

He nodded solemnly. "I am waiting for the day that my father kills my brother," he said quietly, staring up at the night sky, the stars shining bright.

She didn't need to ask which brother he was talking about. "I feel sorry for Niklaus, he seems to get the brunt of your father's anger. Though my father is not so gentle either." It was true that Erik was a scary man when he wanted to be, though the one thing he had going for him was that he neither favored or loathed a specific child. Niklaus seemed to be the bane of Mikael's existence and no one seemed to know why.

Elijah nodded, before a determined look passed through his oak brown eyes, similar to Kol's. out of all of the Mikaelson siblings, Kol and Elijah bore the most resemblance. "I do not wish to talk about our families, Bella," he said suddenly.

"Oh." Bella raised an eyebrow, daring to look up at him. "And what do you wish to talk about?"

"You."

Bella blushed and looked away. It was hard to believe that Elijah might actually want to know about her as a person. Not many of the men in their village neither cared or pretended to. But she could see genuine curiosity on his handsome face.

"There is not much to know," Bella muttered, keeping her gaze firmly on the ground.

"Well, I have known you all of my life and the only things I know about you are that you are terribly clumsy, fiercely loyal to your loved ones, and know how to get yourself into dangerous situations almost too easily," Elijah said in his calm voice, sounding slightly amused.

"You forgot easily embarrassed and horribly shy," Bella said, finally looking up. "Oh, and apparently I have no life of my own outside of my family."

A small smile appeared on Elijah's lips. "I'm boring and aloof, or so my brothers tell me. I lack of a social life as well, and need to work on my ability to socialize. According to Kol, it is no wonder that I do not have a wife or friends."

Bella laughed out loud, causing Elijah's smile to grow. He quite liked her laugh. "Aren't we a pair? A socially awkward man and a graceless woman, both with no lives of their own," Bella said, proud of herself for making it that far in a conversation with Elijah.

Elijah laughed too. "At least we have each other, Bella," he teased, causing her heart to race and her palms to sweat. Oh, how she wished those words were true.

They were having a cute moment, a moment of bonding. But because Bella was Bella, she had to blurt something out to ruin it. "Are you and Niklaus talking again?" she asked suddenly, her nerves getting the best of her.

Elijah's face darkened, and Bella loathed herself for killing the moment. "I apologize," she said quickly. "I really do need to work on interacting with people- you are not the only socially awkward person in this village."

"No," he interrupted her, shaking his head. His face lightened up. "It's alright, Bella. You and Tatia are friends, are you not? I am sure that she has told you all the details of two Mikaelson sons fighting over her." it surprised Bella that he sounded bitter, almost.

"Yes, I suppose we are," she said quietly. "But that does not mean that I agree with every choice she has made, or that I am okay with it. Personally, I believe that Tatia enjoys her beauty and the affects it has on men too much. Her beauty will be her end, I just know it."

Bella blinked, her cheeks burning as she realized who she was talking to. "But I bet that sounds like a woman who is just jealous of her friend, does it not?" she asked him.

Elijah shook his head. "It sounds like a wise woman speaking the truth," he told her, causing Bella to frown. "And to answer your earlier question, Niklaus and I are working on being brothers again, but so far all we have accomplished is to not kill each other in their sleep. My mother hates that we are fighting over a woman, and my father thinks us fools for it."

"Do you love her?" Bella blurted out, looking up at him with wide, honest eyes. Elijah's answer had the ability to make her or break her.

He sighed. "What _is _love, exactly? How is one to know if what they feel is actually love? How do they know that they are not mistaking it for lust or that they just care for them? Love is confusing."

Bella took a deep breath. "I believe that you just _know, _that something goes off in your head when you fall in love. Love is deeper than both lust and caring for someone. Lust crumbles easily, it is just physical attraction. But love, true love, is always there. True love never dies," Bella explained, like she was an expert on the subject. "And yes, love is very confusing. It is cruel and I am sure that it loves playing with people's minds and hearts. But it is also beautiful and amazing, when you find its truest form."

Elijah considered her words, taking them in. "True love…" he murmured to himself.

"Yes. It means something different to different people, but I believe true love is something you can only feel for one person. For it to be true, you must feel that love wholly and you cannot do that if you love another. Plus, the love must be returned," she told him.

"I do not think that Tatia is my true love," Elijah said after a while of silence. "I do not know if I truly love her. she is beautiful, yes, but, as you pointed out, that is not love, that is lust. I think that her arrogance detracts from her beauty."

Bella nodded, her face lighting up as hope sprung up inside of her. Elijah thought then and there that the thing that made Bella beautiful was how obvious it was that she didn't know it.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, but found no sign of Niklaus and Halia. Bella sighed. "I give up, we can walk in these woods forever and not find them. Can you just take me home?"

Elijah nodded, and she turned around to walk in the opposite direction, only to trip and fall. Elijah caught her before she hit the ground though.

"You really are graceless, Bella," he said, laughing slightly. He stopped suddenly when he realized how close she was to him. he could feel her breath on his cheek, her long hair tickling his skin. Their lips were barely an inch apart.

Bella was frozen, not able to pull away or close the distance between their lips. She was just frozen, waiting for him to make his move. Slowly, ever so slowly, he leaned into Bella, his arms still wrapped around her waist, ignoring the still trickling blood down her neck and onto the front of his shirt.

Bella's eyes fluttered closed as she willed Elijah to kiss her. his lips just grazed hers, and then a familiar voice, seeming so loud in the silence of the woods, broke them apart.

"Bella! Garrett told me you were looking for- oh! oh, I am so sorry!"

Elijah and Bella instantly broke apart, both suddenly feeling very awkward as Halia and Niklaus stood a few feet away from them. Halia looked abashed while Niklaus was smirking. Bella was sure that she was going to die of embarrassment.

"Halia, let's go," Bella muttered, not being able to look Elijah in the eyes. he couldn't look at her either, as both knew what had almost just happened.

"Okay," she said, knowing better than to argue with her sister at that moment. She walked away from Niklaus, passing Elijah as he went to join his brother. As soon as she reached Bella, she grabbed Halia's arm and pulled her with her, as she walked away from the Mikaelson brothers as fast as she could.

Before Niklaus disappeared from her line of sight, Halia waved goodbye to him, a bright, sweet smile on her lips. Niklaus smiled sincerely at her just before her and Bella disappeared into the trees.

"So, you almost kissed Elijah. I take it that you got over your nerves," Halia said slightly, ignoring the painfully tight grip her sister had her arm in.

Bella glared daggers at Halia, too angry for words. she had never hated her sister more than she did at that moment. If only Halia had walked in on her and Elijah a minute later.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to Samantha meyers for reviewing!

Reviews make my day ;)

~Abby!


	7. the warning

**Chapter seven**

_The warning_

Bella busied herself the next day, following her almost-kiss with Elijah. She cooked, she cleaned, she nursed Gemma, sick from her hangover. Thankfully, Halia had yet to tell the rest of the family about the compromising position she had found Elijah and Bella in. they didn't know that Bella had almost been raped by Jon either.

After cleaning up from breakfast and assigning her siblings certain chores, Bella went to visit her mother again. Abigail was doing no better or no worse than last time. She was a vegetable, and the only thing her family could do was wait until she died.

"Hello mother," Bella said, sitting down at her mother's bedside. She felt the need to inform her mother on everything that had happened with Elijah, whether she wanted to know the details or not.

"So, I managed to hold a few conversations with Elijah without vomiting. I'm proud of myself," she started, allowing a small smile before she continued. "Talking with him has not changed how I feel about him at all. in fact, I think I like him more, now that I know him better. He's the kind of man that I thought him to be. He saved me from a man who wanted to rape me, mother. And we almost kissed."

A blush crept to Bella's cheeks at the memory. She was so close to getting the thing she had been wishing for since she was thirteen. She could still feel his breath against her skin, feel his rough lips just graze her soft ones.

"Oh, I am so pathetic, mother." Bella groaned. "Well, at least I have a chance now- he told me that he does not think that he loves Tatia. I know that she is supposed to be my friend, but I am so glad, mother. Does that make me a bad person, wishing my friend to lose one of her many suitors?"

"No, but talking to our ill mother makes you crazy."

Bella jumped at Joseph's voice. "How long were you there?" she demanded, turning around. Her face flushed, turning a deep red.

"Long enough to learn that you and Elijah Mikaelson- the man you've been in love with since you were thirteen and the son of our father's biggest rival- almost kissed, and that you were almost raped. Seems like last night was a big night full of almosts for you," Joseph said bitterly.

Bella sighed. "I am not in love with Elijah, and it is no big deal, Joseph. Elijah arrived and saved me before he could do it," she said, standing up.

"Why did you not use your powers, Bella?" he demanded, anger fueled by his protectiveness in his voice.

"Vervain- the purple flowers at the base of the white oak tree- prevented me from doing so. That flower disarms us, Joseph. We must be careful of not going near it," Bella said urgently. Joseph sighed and nodded.

"I suppose that I owe Elijah a thank you, for saving my little sister," he murmured thoughtfully.

"Oh no, please do not," Bella muttered, blushing just at the thought.

A grin came to Joseph's lips. "So how was that kiss, Bella? Was it everything you have dreamed about?" he teased.

She shook her head furiously. "I did not kiss him. Halia and Niklaus walked in on us before it happened," she muttered as they walked out of their mother's bedchamber.

"Oh, I bet that if looks could kill, sweet Halia would have spontaneously combusted." Joseph laughed as they walked into the kitchen. Gemma was there, preparing lunch despite her hangover.

"How are you doing, Gemma?" Bella asked kindly, taking her sister's place.

"Does father know of hangover, you two?" she asked quickly, ignoring Bella's question.

Joseph shook his head. "If he did, you would not be amongst the living, dear sister. Father would have killed you for embarrassing the family. It is not appropriate for a young woman to be out drinking," Joseph said with a smirk, letting his sisters know that he wasn't serious.

Gemma glared at him. "I blame Kol. If he had not gotten me riled up-" she started to say, but Bella cut her off.

"You threw a drink in his face because he called you beautiful," she reminded her sister with an eye roll.

Joseph snorted. "Really, Gem?" he asked his sister, disbelieving.

She glared at Bella. "How was your kiss with Elijah, sister?" she asked sarcastically.

Bella blushed and glared back. "Did Halia tell you?" she asked.

Gemma smirked. "Yes. She also told me that she spent most of last night with Niklaus," she told her siblings.

Bella instantly frowned. "Oh no," she murmured. Niklaus was known for deflowering village girls, and for being madly in love with Tatia. Sweet, innocent, naïve Halia would be a treat for him. sweet, innocent, naïve Halia would have her heart broken by him.

"Oh no is right. Adora has had her eye set on Niklaus recently," Joseph said, frowning too. He could already imagine the feuding that would go on between the oldest and the youngest sister, over the heart of Niklaus Mikaelson.

Bella sighed, imagining it too. "Family above all," she muttered to herself, too low for Gemma and Joseph to hear. She believed in that, that family came before everything. She would always choose her family over everything.

"Well, things are sure about to get interesting," Joseph muttered to himself. "Halia and Adora will be fighting over Niklaus, Bella will be out snogging Elijah in the woods, and Gemma and Kol will continue to fight the sexual tension by being downright cruel to each other."

Gemma and Bella both glared at their brother, who just chuckled. Joseph was right, though. Things in their village were about to get interesting.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella was walking alone in the village, delivering food to the Peterson family. The family was made up of Peter, Mara, and their twin daughters, Kassandra and Kalia. Mara had been a friend of Bella's, and she had died giving birth to her and Peter's stillborn son a few days before. Bella was making sure that the family was okay and that they were eating. It was a common thing, for women to die giving birth, but it still made Bella sad whenever one did.

She passed Elijah and Finn teaching their youngest brother Henrik how to swordfight, and Bella ducked her head to avoid his gaze, blushing like mad. She was sure that all the progress she had made to not be embarrassed in front of Elijah was a waste, ever since they almost kissed.

Bella thought that she heard Elijah calling to her, so she began to walk faster. She couldn't face Elijah, not after last night. when she made it to the Peterson house, she was panting, she had ran so fast. Bella knew that she couldn't avoid Elijah forever, and it was only a matter of time until they were forced to talk to each other.

"Bella, it is so kind of you to come," Peter said, inviting her inside. His brown eyes were rimmed red, and she frowned sympathetically up at the man. he and Mara had been very much in love.

"I am so sorry for your loss, Peter," she said kindly, handing him a basket of food she had made. "How are Kassandra and Kalia taking the loss?"

"They do not understand that their mother is gone, as is their brother. They call for her at night-" Peter cut himself off, struggling to keep himself together. Bella's eyes stung with invisible tears. She felt so bad for the family.

"At least you have your daughters, Peter. You must be strong for them," Bella told him, and Peter nodded.

"And I shall," he said, taking the food that Bella offered him.

After talking with Peter for an hour and consoling him about his loss, Bella left his house to return to her own. She hummed softly to herself as she did, an old lullaby that Abigail had sang to her as a child. The lullaby had always calmed her, even as a young woman. It allowed her to clear her mind and think.

"Bella!"

Bella took a deep breath, her heart starting to beat fast in her chest. she felt her cheeks burn and clutched her empty basket to her. then she turned around and met Elijah's oak brown eyes.

"Elijah." She nodded, proud that she still had the ability to talk.

"Can we talk? I feel like things between us-" he started to say but was cut off.

"Elijah, can you go round up your brothers and sister? We have company for dinner tonight."

Elijah looked annoyed for a second, but he ducked his head and nodded. "Yes mother," he said quietly, before leaving Bella alone with Ester. He gave her a meaningful look before he disappeared though.

Ester stared at Bella for a while, her gaze calculating. Bella shifted uncomfortably but she held her ground. "So _fairy, _you and my Elijah are becoming close, are you not?" Ester asked casually. "I believe that the same could be said for my Niklaus and your sister."

Bella refused to be intimidated by the witch. "I cannot speak for Halia, but yes, Elijah and I are spending more time together, I suppose." Bella shrugged slightly. _You are a fairy with strong powers- you can handle this witch, _she told herself.

Ester pursed her lips. "I have tolerated your family, for you have not caused any trouble- yet- but I wish for you and your family to stay away from my family. If you do not, I will be forced to take action to defend _my _family," she told her bluntly.

Bella frowned at her, anger running through her. "I do not think that you have the right to decide that, Ester. Rebekah and Halia are friends, as are Adrian and Finn. I do not know what you witches have against my family, but it does not have to be like this. Both of us can live in peace, I assure you. This place is both our home," she said calmly.

Ester's gaze remained calculating. "If your family does not stay away from mine, I will be forced to take action," she repeated before walking away.

Bella sighed- things with Elijah had just gotten even more complicated.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **reviews are inspiring!

~Abby :)


	8. the kiss

**Chapter eight**

_The kiss_

Bella was still reeling from Ester's warning, as she walked through the village clutching her empty basket. She and Elijah's relationship was turning star-crossed. Their fathers loathed each other, and Ester had made it very clear that she would harm her family if Bella and her sisters didn't stay away from her sons.

"Bella, what is wrong? You look as if you have just received some terrible news."

Halia, sweet, bubbly, cheerful Halia, bounced up to her. "I have, Hallie," Bella murmured.

"What is it?" she frowned, concerned for her sister. Bella forced a smile and shook her head.

"Everything is fine, Halia. I am just worrying. Is that not what I do?" she asked in a light, teasing tone.

Halia smiled. "You need to loosen up, Bella. Perhaps Elijah can help you with that." she gave a suggestive smirk. Bella gasped, looking scandalized.

"Halia!" she scolded her sister for having such dirty thoughts.

"Oh, do not act like you have not thought about it." She rolled her eyes.

"It is not appropriate for us to be thinking of such things, Halia," she insisted, blushing because she had, in fact, thought about being in bed with Elijah on numerous occasions.

"Whatever, Bella." She rolled her eyes before a childish grin flitted to her lips.

"Tag, you're it!"

Halia hit Bella on the shoulder and took off running. She was giggling as she ran, and Bella shook her head at her sister's childishness. She bit her lip, considering chasing her sister. With a final sigh, the temptation became too much, and she dropped her basket and took off running after Halia.

She laughed as she ran, not feeling this young and carefree since her mother became ill. She had been forced to grow up even faster when Abigail got sick, which was why Bella was the way she was. she needed a break, a chance to unwind. Playing tag with Halia provided that chance.

Bella ran fast as she could in her dress, Halia's giggles leaving the trail she followed. Her lungs burned, but she didn't slow down. She felt that she was running away from stress and responsibility. If she slowed down, they would catch up with her again.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Bella. She waved her hands at Halia's sprinting figure, and her sister tripped and fell face forward in the woods.

"Hey, that is cheating!" she exclaimed as Bella caught up with her.

"I call it being resourceful," she retorted before hitting Halia. "Tag- you're it."

Bella took off running deep into the woods. She heard Halia stand up and chase her, causing Bella to run even faster. She liked playing games with her sister, no matter how childish they were. She liked letting go and having fun. She understood why her siblings wanted her to do it more often.

Bella found herself in a clearing, one that had life in it. She stopped running and met eyes with Adrian. He gave her a "what the hell are you doing?" look, before Bella was tackled to the ground by Halia.

She groaned when she came in contact with the ground, her sister on top of her. despite being small, Halia was pretty strong. Taking down her older sister was not a difficult task for her.

"Ugh, why was that necessary?" Bella moaned.

"Bella! Halia! What the hell are you two doing?"

The sisters' eyes widened at the voice, and they both jumped up, despite their pain. Bella brushed off her dress, dread filling her. her father was a very scary man when he needed to be.

"I apologize father. Halia and I-" she started to say, but he cut her off.

"You and Halia were just acting like irresponsible, reckless children," Erik snapped, clearly very angry. Bella held back her flinch, but moved slightly in front of Halia, as if she could physically block her father's cruel words from her baby sister.

She was a little confused as to why he was extra angry, and that's when Bella noticed why Adrian and Erik were with. Mikael and –of course- Elijah. She groaned inwardly, because the universe never got sick of Bella embarrassing herself in front of him.

Bella hung her head, glad for her dark, thick hair to hide her face. "Yes father, we were," she murmured quietly, knowing better than to argue. Arguing never got you anywhere with Erik.

"Let me tell you _Girl, _one day your childishness will get you killed. It will serve you right too," he snapped. Adrian flinched slightly. He wanted to defend his sisters, but he knew better. Defending got you just as far with Erik as arguing did.

"Yes father," she muttered, feeling as if he had just slapped her. Bella was not childish. She was mature and careful- almost to the point of being paranoid. But saying this to Erik would only make her punishment worse.

"Now run along Girl, and take your sister with you," he growled. Without another word, Bella gripped Halia's hand tightly and pulled her away. She couldn't look at Elijah, couldn't imagine what he was thinking.

First they almost kissed and then his witch of a mother told Bella to stay away from her. Elijah witnessing her father yelling at her would surely not improve their already struggling relationship.

_**~TLND~**_

"We were just playing tag," Bella insisted to Adrian, as the siblings had one of their many family meetings in the kitchen.

"I see no fault in that," Joseph said, squeezing Halia's shoulder. The youngest Erikson looked close to tears. She wasn't used to father's yelling.

"It is not what you were doing, it was that Mikael was there," Adrian explained. "You two embarrassed him, that is all. Mikael kept insulting Father about his 'wild, uncontrollable daughters.' Apparently it got around the village that Gemma was drunk last night, so that did not help matters."

"I am not wild and uncontrollable." Gemma frowned. "If you want to see wild and uncontrollable, go to Patrikson twins in the village- Ella and Emma. Those two will slide into bed with anything that moves."

Adora snorted. "I am sure that they would sleep with something dead, sister. As long as it has not been dead for very long."

Bella frowned at them. "Can we get back to the topic at hand, please?" she asked sarcastically, before turning back to Adrian and signaling for him to continue.

"Yes, Father and Mikael almost got into a fight, but Elijah and I managed to break it up," he finished, before frowning slightly at Bella. "He asked about you, Elijah. Before Mikael called him away, he asked me about you."

Bella's face turned bright red, but she was humming with excitement. "What did he ask about?" she demanded, imagining the best and the worst.

"He asked if you had any suitors." Bella almost exploded from the information.

"And what did you tell him?" she asked, holding on tightly to the front of her brother's shirt.

"Careful, Adrian," Garrett said, eying Bella carefully. "If you answer incorrectly, there is a good chance you will lose your head."

"I said that you never had any suitors that I was aware of," Adrian answered, and Bella hit him- hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked irritably, backing away from Bella.

"Now he thinks I am undesired!" she grumbled, glaring at Adrian.

"It is the truth!" he shot back. he did not understand women and their logic, nor would he ever.

"You were supposed to say that she had no definite suitors, but a few men in the village had their eyes on her," Gemma told Adrian, amused. "That way Elijah does not think that he has a lot of competition, but thinks that Bella is desired by other men."

"So I should lie?" Adrian asked disbelievingly.

"Yes!" Bella growled. "Your stupidity amazes me sometimes, Adrian," she muttered before storming off.

Bella grabbed the basket of clothes she had been in the middle of patching up and walked outside. She would complete her chores outside, since it was very nice that day. Bella knew that she had overreacted with Adrian, but she was sure that her chances with Elijah were shot now. It was a cruel thing, to have hope dangled in your face, only to have it ripped away.

_**~TLND~**_

"Is Bella really still upset with Adrian?" Joseph asked Gemma as they, along with Garrett and Halia, walked through the village next day. Bella had given them a list of things they needed at the market and some gold.

"No, it is not in Bella to hold a grudge longer than five minutes," Gemma replied, before handing Joseph half of the gold. "Here, go get the wine and flour. We'll meet at the oak tree when we're finished."

Joseph nodded and he and Garrett walked off. Halia and Gemma then began to shop for the things they needed. While looking at fabric a vendor was selling, Gemma bumped into a tall man.

"Oh, I am sorry," she said, looking up to see Elijah. He waved off her apology but grabbed her arm when she tried to walk away.

"Gemma, can I ask you about Bella?" he asked, frowning slightly. He hated that he had to go through Bella's siblings to find out more about her, but she had been avoiding him.

"You may," Gemma said rather apprehensively.

"Does Bella- does Bella not care for me?" he blurted out. He was not sure of how she felt about him, and it was driving him insane. Elijah had never met any creature more confusing and infuriating than women.

Gemma burst out laughing. "Not care for you? Are you crazy? Bella has had a crush on you since she was thirteen!" Gemma blurted out. Halia hit her sister, hard, and only then did she realize what she had said.

"Oh no," she whispered, hating her big mouth.

"What?" Elijah asked, shocked. "Bella has a crush on me?" he hadn't seen that one coming.

Halia rolled her big brown eyes. "Are you blind? It has been obvious to everyone in this village except for you. She cannot speak when you are talking to her, her clumsiness is increased when you are around. You do not realize what you do to her, do you, Elijah?"

No, he did not. But Bella did not realize what she did to him either.

"Thank you," Elijah said quietly after a while. He was still in shock. Then he walked away from the sisters, looking as if he had a sudden purpose that he was focused on.

"Oh no," Halia whispered to Gemma. "What have we done?"

_**~TLND~**_

Bella sat outside of her house, busy patching up one of Garrett's shirts. Suddenly, she found herself no longer alone.

"Elijah?" Bella frowned, surprised to see him. "May I help you?"

"You have a crush on me?" he blurted out, seeming very un-Elijah-like at that moment.

She suddenly felt she had had the wind knocked out of her. "What?" she asked, breathless.

"Do you fancy me, Bella?" he asked, walking closer to her.

Bella's heart was racing and her mouth was dry. Still, she somehow managed to choke out, "Yes. For years, I have."

Without another word, Elijah cupped Bella's face in his hands and kissed her.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: Belinda, AudreyDarke96, kk, and Sam0728 for reviewing!

Reviews are inspirational!

~Abby ;)


	9. the secret

**Chapter nine**

_The secret_

Bella couldn't remember ever being so happy and so surprised when Elijah Mikaelson's lips met hers. She gasped slightly as his muscular arms wrapped around her waist. His lips were rough and warm and surprisingly tender against hers. One of Elijah's hands reached up to caress her face, and his thumb grazed her cheek bone.

She didn't know when it finally occurred to her to kiss Elijah back. Maybe seconds later, maybe minutes. But eventually, one of Bella's hands entangled itself in his long brown hair and she kissed him gently back. Bella was blissfully ignorant of everything going on around them as she kissed Elijah. She forgot that their fathers were rivals and his mother was a witch who hated Bella and her family. The only thing she focused on was how warm Elijah was and his rough yet soft lips.

Bella smiled as they continued to kiss, never pulling away for air. She was slightly afraid that when they did pull away, she would wake up and realize that it was all a dream. Her hands reached up to cup Elijah's face and he pulled her closer until there was no space between their bodies. Eventually, they had to come up for air, but when their lips parted, Bella still cupped Elijah's face, as if to make sure that he was real.

Elijah had to almost crouch down to kiss Bella, since he was almost a foot taller than her. he rested his forehead against hers and then placed a hand over her hand, that was currently on his left cheek. Bella smiled slightly and blushed, as what had happened between them started sinking in. she averted her green eyes from his brown ones, and he chuckled slightly.

"I find it amusing how easy it is to make you blush," he murmured, pushing her dark hair out of her face so that she couldn't hide from him.

Bella blushed deeper in response. Elijah chuckled again before kissing her forehead and pulling away. She frowned at him, already missing being in his arms. "Where are you going?" she asked him.

"I am supposed to go meet my brothers, and I fear that I am already late," he replied, a small smile growing on his lips. "Do not worry Bella, we shall meet later."

She relaxed at that promise. She wanted to kiss Elijah again and again. She never wanted to let him go. "Wait," she said when he started to walk away. "I think… I think that we should not tell anybody about… us." Already, Bella was worrying about what she and Elijah were. If he just planned to deflower her or if their relationship actually held any meaning.

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?"

"Because of our fathers, and your mother," she explained. "I am sure that they would not be too pleased to learn that you kissed me."

Elijah smirked slightly, a smirk similar to one Niklaus would wear. "You kissed me back," he pointed out.

Bella smiled coyly, a smile similar to one Gemma would wear while flirting with men from the village. It seemed that both of them were borrowing moves from their siblings that were more adept at flirting. "Yes, I did," she said, feeling more confident after kissing Elijah. "But you kissed me first."

"Yes, I did," he repeated her words in a slightly teasing manner. Then he seemed to remember that he was going to very late to meeting his brothers. "I must go, Bella. I shall find you later."

"And I shall be waiting," she countered, feeling glad that she had listened to Gemma flirt before, so that she knew how to do it. Elijah liked shy, bashful Bella who blushed easily, though. It was that Bella who taught his attention in the first place.

She watched Elijah walk away, her heart fluttering as a giant grin made its way onto her mouth. She had just _kissed _Elijah Mikaelson. Elijah Mikaelson had just _kissed her. _and after he spent time with his brothers, he was going to find her and they were going to kiss her again.

Out of all of the things Bella could've done after being kissed by Elijah, the first thing she did was turn around and run into her house to tell her vegetable of a mother.

_**~TLND~**_

"Why are you so _happy?" _

Garrett was frowning at Bella like she had just sprouted a second head. They were in the village together. Bella was working on her mother's friend's garden and requested that Garrett help her. Amelia was recovering from giving birth, for she had had complications- though, luckily, both she and her son survived. Her garden needed to be tended to, though, and Bella agreed to help because Amelia helped take care of her family when her mother first fell ill.

"You say it like it is a crime to be happy," Bella mused, a giant smile on her lips. She hadn't stopped smiling since she and Elijah had parted that morning, and her facial muscles were starting to twitch from overuse.

"All I know is that this morning you were grumpy and brooding. Then I come home for lunch and you couldn't be happier. I will not lie, I am a little scared," Garrett said, holding a bucket full of dirt for his sister.

"I just am, Garrett." Bella shrugged. She decided not to tell her siblings about kissing Elijah because it would be sure to get back to their father, and Erik would never let one of his daughters be with one of Mikael's sons

"Fine," Garrett said, shrugging too. He would let it drop, but he was sure that there was more to his sister's happiness than she let on.

"Bella, I was looking everywhere for you!"

Gemma suddenly ran up to her, panting. "It is not my fault, sister, I swear. Halia told him!"

"Lies!" Halia exclaimed, joining them. It looked like the two had been racing to get to Bella first. "I did not tell him. Gemma was the one who blurted it out. I bet she was drunk too. You never know with Gemma- she's the crazy and uncontrollable sister, after all."

Gemma glared at Halia. "I was not drunk!" she exclaimed.

"Whoa," Bella said, coming in between her two sisters. She was seriously confused, as was Garrett. He knew better than to get in a girl fight, though. Gemma would probably drown him.

"What happened?" she asked, frowning slightly.

Halia took a deep breath. "Gemma told Elijah that you have a crush on him," she blurted out.

Bella's eyes snapped to Gemma. Was that why Elijah asked if she liked him that morning? If so, Bella couldn't be angry at Gemma for blurting out the truth, because if she hadn't Bella wouldn't be so amazingly blissful at the moment. At that moment, Bella loved Gemma and her big mouth.

"I did not!" Gemma insisted, but they all knew that it was a lie. It would be so Gemma to accidently tell her sister's crush that she likes him.

Gemma sighed. "I am so sorry, Bella. It was an accident, I swear. Please, do not hate me," she said, giving Bella her best injured puppy dog look, in order to get Bella to forgive her.

Bella bit her lip, not knowing what to do. If she didn't act angry, her family would instantly know that something had happened between her and Elijah. But Bella _wasn't _mad, and she was a terrible actress.

"Oh, I am so angry at you, Gemma," Bella started, glaring at Gemma and crossing her arms over her chest. Gemma instantly frowned, easily telling that Bella was lying.

"No, you are not," she said. "Why aren't you?"

"No, I am," Bella insisted. But Garrett and Halia were already frowning at her too.

"No, if you were really angry, you would have just walked off and taken your anger out on Gemma passive aggressively by not talking to her and giving her the worst chores. Why are you not angry at her for telling Elijah how you feel?" Garrett asked, his frown deepening.

As Bella struggled to come up with an excuse, her gaze travelled across the village to where Elijah had suddenly appeared with the rest of his brothers. It seemed as if Elijah, Kol, Finn, and Niklaus decided to train Henrik that day, which was why Elijah ran off that morning. It was what he had been late for.

Bella met Elijah's eyes, and he smiled slightly at her. she blushed, a flirty smile forming on her lips. Suddenly, Gemma gasped, figuring it out.

"No way," she whispered. "You and Elijah-"

"I do not know what you are talking about, Gemma," Bella said cryptically, still smiling slightly. Her gaze was focused on Elijah, who couldn't take his eyes off of her. she picked up her basket of weeds and started walking away. "Now I really must go start dinner."

"Elijah?" Elijah didn't bother to take his eyes off of Bella, who kept throwing coy smiles at him over her shoulder.

"Yes Niklaus?" he asked. He could still feel her soft lips against hers, and he was very thankful that he had been brave enough to kiss her.

Niklaus didn't respond, but instead looked to where his brother's gaze was focused on. He wasn't the least bit surprised when he saw that he was staring at Bella Erikson. The same Bella Erikson he had caught Elijah almost kissing days ago. The same Bella Erikson Elijah had always had a sort of infatuation for, one that had recently been brought back.

Elijah was moving on from Tatia, and while Niklaus would've jumped on that chance to make a move on the Petrova, he found that he didn't want to. He had a new infatuation- Halia Erikson. It seemed like the Mikaelson men were moving on from Tatia and onto the Erikson women who had strange powers. Even Kol spent less time undressing Tatia with his eyes when he thought that Elijah and Niklaus weren't looking and more time complaining about Gemma. It seemed that, recently, Kol spent most of his time thinking about Gemma.

"So, Bella Erikson, huh?" Niklaus asked with a small smirk. "She is a real beauty. Lucky for you, she's been infatuated with you since she was thirteen."

Elijah looked at his brother then, his eyebrows furrowed. "Did everyone know besides me?" he asked.

Niklaus rolled his eyes before he completely processed Elijah's words. "Kol and I had a bet going if you would ever figure it out. I bet you would when you were on your death bed, he bet you never would."

Elijah glared at him, and that was when Niklaus caught the hidden meaning beneath his words. "Wait, you know now?" he asked, surprised. Was that why Elijah was late that morning? Was he with Bella?

Niklaus shook his head inwardly. No, of course he wasn't. This was Elijah after all.

Elijah half-smiled cryptically. "Perhaps I do," he murmured, before walking away. Niklaus frowned after him. no, Elijah didn't know. He couldn't, could he?

**~TLND~**

As Bella walked home, arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her waist. She squealed and whirled around to face a slightly smirking Elijah.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed, putting a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"I apologize," Elijah said, though he looked amused. Before Bella could say anything else, he bent down and kissed her. she inhaled sharply as one hand cradled her head and the other skimmed her hip. She had missed kissing Elijah much more than she had realized. She was becoming addicted and fast.

Bella kissed him back, placing her hands on his chest. finally, common sense caught up with her, and she pulled away. "This is supposed to be our secret, Elijah. My siblings are going to walk in on us if we keep kissing here," she pointed out logically.

Elijah sighed but pulled away from her. he didn't stop from tracing her curves, though. Bella shivered slightly as his hands came to rest on her waist. "Meet me at the oak tree tonight at midnight. That way we can continue without being interrupted," he murmured in her ear.

It was a very un-Elijah-like suggestion, to sneak out of their houses and meet up. But Bella's answer was very un-Bella-like too.

"I shall be there," she answered without a thought.

It was funny, how the two most mature people in the village, the two least likely people to sneak out and break rules, brought out the rebellious side in the other.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: Sam0728, Belinda, AudreyDarke96, HoneyGee08, and pat bennett for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	10. the healer

**Chapter ten**

_The healer_

Bella waited until her family was asleep in their beds before she snuck out of her house. Her hair was wild and wavy from the braid she had had it in all day, and as she walked through the woods alone, she looked like a real woodland fairy.

She smiled when she saw Elijah waiting for her at the oak tree, and she walked faster to reach him. he grinned when he saw her coming towards him and opened his arms for her. without another word, Bella ran into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. his arms enclosed around her waist and he kissed Bella back. the two could never get enough of kissing each other.

When they pulled away for air, Elijah offered Bella his arm and asked, "Would you care to take a walk with me?"

She smiled and entwined their fingers together. Silently, they started walking into the woods. They walked in comfortable silence, as Bella thought about how she went from shy, rule-following Bella who longed after Elijah Mikaelson from afar to coy Bella who snuck out of her house to kiss Elijah.

"Do you remember when you carried Halia out of the caves after she hurt herself all those years ago?" Bella asked suddenly, thinking about that day. It was, after all, the day her crush on him began.

"Yes, I do," he replied after a moment's thought. "Why do you ask?"

"Why did you lie to our mothers for me? I can only imagine the punishment your father gave you for it," she said, frowning slightly.

Elijah shrugged. He didn't get punished by his father often; Elijah usually followed his rules and Mikael spent most of his energy on punishing Niklaus and Kol- usually Niklaus. "It was not too bad," he said thoughtfully. "And I lied for you because you seemed so distraught. You were really beating yourself up over Halia, and I thought that that was punishment enough for your actions. You are very protective of her, aren't you?"

Bella nodded. "It is because she is the baby of the family. I try to keep her safe from all the dangers this world has to offer, but I know that I cannot always keep her safe. The same goes for all of my siblings, even the older ones," she said.

Elijah nodded in understanding. He was very protective of his siblings too, especially because he was the oldest. And he and his other siblings doted on Henrik. Elijah understood how close Bella was with her siblings, because he was just as close with his own.

Bella smiled thoughtfully up at the sky. The full moon would be in a few days, and they would have to retreat to the caves in a few days because of the wolves. "Niklaus has taken a liking to Halia, just so you know," Elijah told her suddenly, causing Bella to frown.

"I hope he does not hurt her," she murmured quietly. She knew what heartache felt like and she wished for Halia to never feel that.

"If it helps, Niklaus has been acting different ever since his few encounters with Halia, a good different. I do not think that she is just another conquest to him," Elijah said thoughtfully. "Besides, Halia is not as naïve as she lets people think. She will put Niklaus in his place if it is necessary."

Bella smiled slightly. "I know she will, but I practically raised her- I cannot help but be concerned about her."

"and I find your compassion and loyalty for your family very endearing," he agreed. Bella blushed and stopped walking.

"Am I only person who can make you blush so easily?" Elijah asked, slightly amused, brushing his fingers over Bella's pink tinged cheeks. This only made her blush deeper.

"Yes, and I am glad that that amuses you so," Bella muttered a little irritably.

He chuckled. "It is just another one of your endearing qualities, Bella," he assured her, before leaning down to kiss her again.

But before he could, Bella smirked devilishly and pulled away. "If you can catch me, you can kiss me," she told him before running away giggling. Elijah chuckled again before following her. Tatia had liked to be chased, he was starting to think that most women did. But Elijah only chased after the women he thought worth the chase. Was Bella worth the chase?

Yes.

Elijah started running after Bella, using the light of the moon and her laughter as a guide. Eventually, Elijah caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist to get her to stop running. She let out a squeal of laughter as he pulled her back against his chest.

"Now I can kiss you," he declared victoriously, before planting his lips on hers. It was a chaste kiss though, and left her wanting more. Bella frowned up at him when he pulled away.

"Come here," she demanded, pulling his face down to hers. Her warm lips pressed against his, her tongue just grazing his bottom lip. One of Elijah's hands rested on Bella's hip while the other brushed her wild hair from her face.

Suddenly, a twig snapped and the couple broke apart. Bella gasped slightly and Elijah pushed her slightly behind him, as if to shield her from whatever might be attacking them. Another twig snapped and then muffled laughter broke through the air as another couple stumbled through the woods.

Elijah and Bella frowned at the couple. They had their arms wrapped around each other and were kissing quite passionately- not unlike how they had been kissing a short while ago.

"Halia?"

"Niklaus?"

_**~TLND~**_

Halia listened to the deep breathing of her family before she slipped out of her bed and out of her house. Ever since the celebration when she and Niklaus had spent hours talking to each other, she had been sneaking out of her house to meet up with him. every night they did this. It was starting to become their routine.

A few minutes after her sister had quietly padded out of their house, Halia did the same. Only she walked towards the lake, where she and Niklaus had taken to meeting. They mostly talked about anything and everything, and Halia was falling for him, hard. She knew that she was different from his other conquests, though. Niklaus had never put so much energy and time into getting a girl, before. Besides, the two hadn't even kissed yet. He had yet to make a move on her, and Halia was fed up with waiting.

She didn't know how Bella waited for Elijah all those years, how she just stood to the side and didn't make any moves on him at all. it was driving Halia crazy, waiting for Niklaus to kiss her. she wasn't very patient.

Halia frowned when she saw that Niklaus' usual spot by the lake was unoccupied. He always waited for her. she didn't know if he was just late or decided not to come that night. still, Halia walked closer to the lake and sat down to wait for him.

Gemma had dragged her here many times as a child, since Gemma had a gift for water. Halia's gift was healing- she was a healer by nature. She hated seeing people in pain. It was almost as if she could feel their pain.

The Erikson family didn't use their powers very often, mostly because of Bella. She insisted that it went against nature to use their gifts selfishly. Just like witches were servants of nature, fairies were protectors of nature. Both existed to ensure one thing- that the balance be kept. But for some reason, witches did not care for fairies. it was like they thought that fairies unbalanced nature, like there was darkness to them. But Halia's gift was the least selfish out of all of her siblings, and she radiated light. But Ester and Ayana hated her with the same intensity they did the rest of her siblings.

"Halia?"

Halia gasped and jumped, breaking out of her thoughts. She suddenly lost her balance and fell into the water. She was immediately soaked to the bone. She heard muffled laughter and glared up at Niklaus.

"Do you not know that it is impolite to sneak up like that? because when one does, things like this happen," Halia said irritably, standing up.

Niklaus didn't bother to hide his smirk as he approached her. "Why were you late? You're never late," she said, frowning suddenly. That was when Halia noticed the cut on Niklaus' cheek, fresh and still dripping blood. she could just see angry red marks peeking out from his shirt, on his back. whip marks, no doubt.

"Oh no," she whispered, her frown deepened. "What happened?" Halia paused as realization dawned on her. "Why did Mikael do this to you?"

Niklaus shrugged like it was no big deal. He had had worse punishments in his life. "He caught me sneaking out, that is all," he said casually, leading her out of the water. She stopped them near the edge, though.

"Yet you still came?" Halia asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

He shrugged again. "I knew that you would be waiting for me," he said simply, "And you hate when I keep you waiting."

Halia almost smiled at how oblivious he was to her feelings. Niklaus was keeping her waiting, night and day- waiting for a kiss. But her compassion and healing nature kept her frowning. Gently, she placed a hand over his cheek and pursed her lips in concentration. He flinched slightly as his cut healed up almost instantly. He frowned slightly at Halia as she wiped away remaining blood off of his cheek with her wet sleeve.

"Thank you," he said quietly, meaning it.

Halia waved it away, and then turned him around to yank up his shirt, completely unabashed. Like she had thought, red welts were visible on his back. instead of placing her hands on his injury, she kissed the heated skin with her cool lips. The welts went away instantly, leaving Niklaus completely uninjured.

He sighed in relief as his pain went away. she pulled his shirt back down and smiled. She didn't like it when people were hurting, and she hated it when Niklaus was in pain. But Niklaus was always facing pain. His father loathed his existence and took out all his anger and frustration on Niklaus- and he didn't even know why. But luckily for him, Halia was a healer by nature, and she would heal as much of him as she could.

"There," she said, a little smug, "All better now."

Halia was still dripping wet, and she shivered a little bit due to the cold. Niklaus leaned down, his chin half an inch above her head. He only had one desire at that moment, and Niklaus was used to doing whatever he had to do to get what he desired. Niklaus desired Halia, he had for a while.

But Halia was sweet and kind and naïve. She was the kind of innocent that most did not want to ruin. She was also funny and brave and not afraid to speak her mind. She held a lot of compassion in her heart, compassion that drew him to her. he was not the only Mikaelson brother who found one of the Erikson sisters' compassion endearing.

Niklaus did not want to break any of that, and he knew that he had a track record of breaking things. So instead of taking what he wanted, he pulled away and said loudly, "Where shall we go tonight? We can always explore a cave if you're feeling adventurous."

Halia pursed her lips in agitation. They were so close, and then Niklaus had the nerve to pull away at the last second. No, she was not going to pull a Bella and wait seven years to tell him how she felt. Halia decided that the best way to tell Niklaus how she felt was to show him, so she grabbed his arm so that he would face her. without another word, she stretched up on her tip toes and kissed him.

His blue eyes widened at the same time her brown ones closed. After a few seconds she pulled away, opened her eyes, and smirked slightly up at him. "What?" she asked coyly. "You weren't going to kiss me any time soon, so I decided to take matters into my own hands."

With those words, Halia turned around and left Niklaus gaping after her. she giggled slightly, despite still being soaking wet. Finally, sense came back to Niklaus and he chased after her. he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. their lips met again, and one of Halia's arms wrapped around Niklaus' neck, in order to pull him closer.

The young couple laughed slightly as they stumbled through the woods, still kissing. Halia had gotten Niklaus wet, but he didn't care. In fact, he hugged her closer to him. Niklaus had kissed many different women in his life, but he decided that Halia's soft, warm, sweet kisses were his favorite. He regretted not kissing her before.

"Halia?"

"Niklaus?"

The two broke apart to see Bella and Elijah gaping at them. They looked like they had just been committing the same act as Halia and Niklaus had, and Halia allowed a smug smirk at Bella before she realized that she and Niklaus had just been caught too.

The four had no words for each other, and eventually Niklaus wrapped an arm around Halia's waist and pulled her back the way they came. "We did not see you if you did not see us," he called to his older brother before they disappeared.

Bella frowned after Halia and Niklaus. Not only had her secret affair with Elijah already been compromised, but her baby sister was kissing Niklaus Mikaelson- the notorious womanizer- in the woods. This was turning out to be an eventful night.

"Let's just let them have their fun," Elijah said, breaking her out of her thoughts, "So that we can have ours."

He took that moment to bend down and kiss her again, putting any thoughts of Niklaus and Halia out of her mind.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **LiliannaKay2011, Sam0728, pat bennett, Belinda, TVDobsessesion106, and Katerina The Von, for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	11. the mixed signals

**Chapter eleven**

_The mixed signals_

Bella was exhausted the next day. She only managed to get a few hours of sleep when she was forced to wake up to start breakfast. She had spent most of the night with Elijah- talking to Elijah, flirting with Elijah, kissing Elijah. She just liked being with Elijah, but she didn't mind all the kissing they were doing one bit.

"Why so tired, sister?" Joseph asked her as her entire family walked into the village, her father included. They all had business to attend to in the village that morning.

Bella shrugged. "I did not sleep very well," she lied.

Halia snorted next to her, and she shot her youngest sister a look. now that Halia and Niklaus were together, Bella had to tell her sister about Ester's warning. She had to know what was at risk every time she kissed Niklaus Mikaelson.

"Halia, may I talk to you?" Bella asked politely, grabbing her sister's arm. Halia nodded and they waited for the rest of the group to move on before talking.

"How could you not tell us about Elijah, Bella?" Halia shrieked. "You've only been crazy about him forever."

"Halia, there is something you must know before you continue your relationship with Niklaus," Bella said urgently, ignoring her sister's words.

"Niklaus," she sighed, a dreamy look crossing her face. "He is so sweet, Bella, and Charming. And a very good kisser." She giggled slightly.

"Halia," she said sharply, calling her sister to attention. "Ester told me that if our family does not stay away from hers, she will be forced to take action against us."

Halia rolled her eyes. "What can she do? Cast a spell on us?"

"You do not understand how serious this situation is, Halia. We do not know what Ester will do, but she is a very powerful witch- you should be afraid," Bella stressed, frowning.

"Well, you're obviously don't," Halia argued. "If you did, you would not be kissing Elijah in the middle of the woods at night."

"We are careful not to get caught. I cannot say the same for you and Niklaus," Bella retorted.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Please. If the past day was you two being careful, I would like to see you and Elijah be careless. I doubt that there is little difference."

"Halia-" Bella tried to argue, but it was pointless.

"Let her try something, Bella. Our family is not without powers of our own. I daresay that we might just be able to take the witch on and win," Halia said confidently, walking backwards towards the village. "Now come on, the others will be wondering where we ran off to."

Bella sighed before following her sister. If only she could be so worry free like her. but that was why Bella worried so much in the first place- so that others wouldn't have to.

_**~TLND~**_

'Elijah cannot stop staring at you," Adora whispered to Bella as they, along with Gemma and Halia, busied themselves with planting seeds in Amelia's garden. The woman was doing much better, but she still required the Mikaelson sisters to take care of her garden.

"Did you not hear Adora? Bella and Elijah are together," Halia said with a smirk, causing Gemma to glare and Bella, Bella to glare at Halia, and Adora's jaw to drop.

"I have missed so much," she muttered to herself.

"Perhaps you should stay out of the caves and spend more time with your family then," Halia retorted. Adora shrugged in response.

"You and Elijah are together?" Gemma demanded, before her glare turned into a smug smirk. "I knew you two were together. You are a terrible liar, Bella."

"We are not together," Bella argued. "He did not ask for my hand or anything like that. we were just-"

"Kissing in the woods?" Halia supplied, her smirk growing wider. Bella blushed deeply.

"As were you and Niklaus," she shot back.

Adora's eyes widened, and her face grew dark. "You were kissing Niklaus?" she asked Halia, her voice feigning casual.

She nodded, beaming up at her eldest sibling. "He is a very good kisser."

Gemma and Halia giggled, but Bella watched Adora cautiously. She remembered Joseph's earlier words, about how Adora liked Niklaus as well. She would just hate for her sisters to be torn apart because of a man.

Bella shook the thought out of her mind and dared to look at Elijah over her shoulder. He was standing with his brothers on the other side of the village. He caught her looking, and Bella smiled, embarrassed, before looking away.

"It seems that Elijah has his eye on a certain fairy."

Elijah brought his attention away from Bella to look at a smirking Kol. "She is a very interesting person," he said with a cryptic smile.

Kol rolled his eyes. that was such an Elijah answer. "And look at Nik! He has the attention of two fairies!" Kol announced, his smirk returning.

Niklaus rolled his eyes. he had flirted with Adora numerous times, but Halia was the one he wanted. "Oh, go stare at Gemma," he retorted, instantly washing Kol's smirk away.

"I do _not _fancy Gemma," he practically growled.

Finn smiled slightly, taking his gaze away from the sword he was sharpening. "No one accused you of doing so, brother," he said easily. He, along with Elijah, usually diffused any arguments that formed between the rest of their siblings.

"But everyone knows he does," Niklaus said to Henrik, smirking slightly. "Only they are both too stubborn to notice it."

"Shut up, Niklaus," Kol growled.

"Or what, brother?" Niklaus asked, his smirk growing wider.

Kol lunged at him in response, tackling Niklaus to the ground. This drew the four Erikson sisters' attention. Bella laughed slightly at the two brothers' fighting. "Oh look, Gemma and Halia's men are having at it," she pointed out.

Gemma glared at Bella. "If you ever call Kol my man again, I'll dose you with water so hard, you'll be dripping for weeks," she threatened.

Bella raised her arms in surrender. "I've caught you checking him out before, Gemma," she pointed out.

"As have I," Adora added, tearing her gaze away from the fight as Finn and Elijah broke it up.

Gemma glared at both of her sisters. "I do _not _fancy Kol," she growled.

"No, you just wish to have hate sex with him," Halia piped in.

Gemma turned her glare onto her. "Halia, you are a child. You should not know what hate sex is," she snapped.

"I know that I do not need to be Bella in order to see it in your and Kol's future," Halia countered.

Gemma glared at her sisters before storming off. Bella sighed and watched as Kol did the exact same thing. Bella knew it as well as she knew her own name- Kol and Gemma were in denial about their feelings for each other. There was a thin line between love and hate, and the two had crossed it a long time ago.

_**~TLND~**_

Gemma found herself at the lake, still fuming that her sisters thought she fancied Kol. She did _not _fancy Kol Mikaelson. He was infuriating and annoying and arrogant. His smug smirk made her want to punch him. Kol was bane of Gemma's existence. It would go against everything she had ever known to like him. yes, Kol was very attractive, but-

Gemma stopped herself and stared, horrified, into the lake. No, Gemma was not allowed to think that. that was what dumb village girls thought, village girls who followed Kol around like he was their god, village girls who ended up in his bed, heartbroken and deflowered. No, Gemma was too good to be one of those girls.

As she calmed down, she walked back to the village. If she wandered off too far, her father would yell at her. and Gemma was not in a mood to get yelled at. She would probably end up losing control and soaking Erik with water. Gemma couldn't imagine her punishment without shuddering.

Erik didn't say much about his children's powers. He chose to pretend that they were normal- it was easier that way. But whenever one of them accidently used their powers in front of them, he unfairly punished them. All of them knew that he wished his children to be normal. Even Abigail, who had been quite supportive of her children being fairies, didn't understand them. The only people who would ever understand the Erikson siblings completely were the siblings themselves. They only had each other. That was why they stuck together.

As she walked back towards Amelia's garden, she spotted Kol flirting with a group of girls. As he told them charming lies, Gemma gritted her teeth. She used to pity the girls who fell for Kol's pretty words and eventually fell into his bed because of them. Then she realized that they were stupid enough to fall for them in the first place- it was their own damn fault. Now, Gemma found them annoying, very annoying. In fact, Gemma felt…

Jealous.

Her eyes widened at the stunning revelation, before she glared at Kol and his group of dumb village girls. Oh, how she loathed him even more for making her be jealous of his flirting with other women. She narrowed her eyes in concentration, focusing on a large bucket of water located conveniently behind the group. It started bubbling, before exploding, soaking the group.

The girls shrieked, but Kol's brown eyes instantly found Gemma. Despite being soaked in cold water, he smirked at her. he left his group of village girls and started to walk towards her. they called him back, but he ignored them, his gaze focused Gemma. She glared at him before walking away from him. she had nothing to say to Kol.

"Gemma!" he called to her, grabbing her arm.

"Do _not _touch me," she growled, yanking her arm away.

Despite her attitude, Kol's smug smirk was permanently glued to his lips. "I believe that you are responsible for me being soaked, are you not?" he asked her, gesturing to his dripping body.

Gemma scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I would not waste my time or energy on anything relating to you," she snapped.

His smirk only grew wider. "You were jealous, weren't you Gemma?" he asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Are you mad?" she asked, her glare gaining more intensity. "Why would I be jealous of your stupid flirting with stupid girls? whores, really, all of them. Stupid whores who are dumb enough to fall for-"

Gemma was cut off from her rant when Kol kissed her.

His mouth was warm and firm against hers. Gemma knew why so many girls kissed Kol. He really was good at that. she could only imagine how he was in bed. Before she could stop herself, Gemma kissed Kol back, her hands coming to rest on his chest. then Gemma realized what she was doing, and she pulled out of his grip and slapped him across then face. Hard.

"What the _hell?" _Kol growled, his hand going to his cheek. He glared at Gemma. It was not the first time she had slapped him, but, for some reason, the slap hurt more than usual. Perhaps because the sting of rejection came with it.

"Why would you kiss me?" she snapped, her eyes wide as she struggled to sort through her feelings. Gemma shouldn't be jealous of stupid whores flirting with Kol, she shouldn't like kissing Kol, and she certainly shouldn't of kissed him back. she was losing her mind.

"What is wrong with you, Gemma?" he asked, still glaring. "If you do not like me, do not act like a jealous housewife when I flirt with other women. If you do not want me to kiss you, do not kiss me back. You call me mad? You are the one who keeps sending me mixed signals. Do you hate me, Gemma, or do you fancy me?"

Gemma didn't answer, and Kol growled before storming away. she bit her lip, completely and utterly confused. She couldn't feel anything other than hate for Kol, could she?

One thing was sure, Kol wasn't too fond of Gemma and her mixed signals at the moment.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **for those of you who read Love Me Forever, the sequel, Eternal Love, is now up.

thank you to: Katerina The Von, and Sam0728 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	12. the backstabber

**Chapter twelve**

_The backstabber_

Bella sighed as Gemma walked away. she wanted to go after her sister, but she knew that she needed to cool down. Besides, she knew where she would go too. The lake. To calm down, Gemma would retreat to the lake just like Joseph would retreat to the woods and Adrian would go bond with animals. Garrett would set something on fire to calm down, Halia would practice healing, Adora would go into the village and pick through peoples' minds, and Bella would throw things around using her telekinesis. Only Bella retreated to a small clearing she found when she was ten to use her telekinesis. She always forced herself to remain calm in front of her siblings, to be the voice of reason.

"Halia!"

As Rebekah approached Halia, the blonde looked at Bella and smirked slightly. Bella never had a problem with Rebekah, she liked her enough. Her and Halia were best friends and she was particularly close to Niklaus.

"Bella," Rebekah greeted her, a smug smile still on her lips.

"Rebekah." She nodded, a handful of seeds in her hand. She had a sinking feeling about Rebekah's smug smirk.

"How are you? Busy, I expect," she asked, and Halia hid her smile with her hands.

"Why would I be busy?" Bella frowned, confused.

"Well, I imagine kissing my brother in the woods would be pretty time consuming." Halia burst out laughing, and Bella blushed furiously before glaring at Halia.

"You told her?" she demanded, as Halia calmed down.

"There is nothing to be ashamed about, Bella. I was merely teasing you. I am very happy that Elijah finally realized how crazy you are about him and moved on from that Petrova," Rebekah said sincerely, her lip curling with disgust when she mentioned Tatia.

Bella sighed. "Did no one know about my crush?" she asked, annoyed.

"Elijah, but I imagine he does now," Rebekah said with a slight smile. Bella liked that Rebekah seemed to approve of her and Elijah. Probably because it meant he was over Tatia and Bella doubted that Rebekah liked her brothers fighting over the Petrova. Suddenly, she wondered if Rebekah knew that Bella wasn't the only Erikson sister kissing one of her brothers in the woods.

"Rebekah, why don't you ask Halia what she was doing last night?" Bella smirked at Halia's wide eyed expression before walking off. It was only fair that Rebekah find out about Halia and Niklaus from Bella. She found out about Elijah and Bella from Halia.

Bella walked over to Adora, who had had a dark look on her face ever since she found out about Niklaus and Halia. "How long is this to take, Bella? I must return to the caves," she asked Bella quite irritably.

"you may go, Adora," Bella replied calmly. "We are done here."

Bella wiped her dirt covered hands on her dress as Adora turned and walked off towards the woods. "Wait," she called to her eldest sister, and Adora stopped. "What do you do in the caves, Adora? What are you and Adrian up to?"

It wasn't a question never asked before. All the Erikson siblings were curious about what Adora and Adrian did in the caves all day. They always supplied them with vague answers and cryptic smiles, though. And this time was no different.

"Do not worry, Bella," she said, smiling slightly. "All will be revealed in time."

With that vague answer, Adora walked off. Bella sighed. She could only imagine what Adora was up to. a part of her didn't wish to know, either. As Adora disappeared into the woods, Bella turned her attention back to Halia and Rebekah.

Halia seemed stuck, explaining to her closest friend that she was seeing her brother. So Bella decided to do it for her. "Halia and Niklaus were kissing in the woods last night," she announced cheerfully. "And they were both wet too. I do not know why, though."

Halia glared daggers at Bella, while Rebekah stared, shocked, at Halia. "Is this true?" she seemed to be at a loss for words.

Halia sighed. "Yes," she whispered. Then she turned her gaze to Bella. "I hate you."

Bella shrugged and grinned. "You love me," she replied casually.

Rebekah still seemed to be wrapping her head around what she had just learned. She didn't see it, see sweet, naïve Halia with her rather womanizing brother. Niklaus was just as bad as Kol in that department, if not worse. But opposites did tend to attract.

"Just.. do not get hurt, alright Halia?" she said finally, looking at her friend. Halia smiled when she saw that Rebekah had accepted her and Niklaus being together.

"Alright," she said simply, before the two girls walked off to continue talking.

Bella looked around the village, looking for a sibling or a friend to talk to. Elijah was still with his brothers, and she did not have enough confidence to approach all of them yet. She would wait for Elijah to be on his own before she would join him.

Bella's green eyes found Tatia. But instead of the Petrova walking towards her, she was walking towards Elijah. Bella's jaw set and jealousy overcame her. Tatia, the girl almost every man in the village wanted. Who was to say that Elijah wasn't a part of that group still?

"Hello Elijah," Tatia purred in that seductive yet sweet way she saved for Elijah. Sweet enough that he would keep thinking her to be innocent Tatia, yet just a tiny bit of seduction to make him want her. Tatia was sweet and innocent with Elijah and seductive and sexy with Niklaus. She knew the brothers well and knew just how to play them.

Usually, Elijah would've been putty in her hands by that point, but he just offered her a polite smile and turned his attention back to the sword he was sharpening. Niklaus had gone off to find Kol and make sure he didn't do anything too impulsive and stupid, but Finn and Henrik were there. The two brothers exchanged looks, wondering how Tatia would take Elijah's coldness.

She frowned at his lack of reaction to her. Niklaus had barely spared her a glance the past few days. She wondered what had changed the Mikaelson brothers' minds. One minute they were professing their love for, the next they were over her.

Tatia found her answer when Elijah's gaze flickered over to Bella. She seemed focused on a handful of seeds she had, but when she felt him looking at her, she looked up and their gazes met. Bella blushed a smiled shyly. Elijah looked at her warmly, the way he used to look at Tatia. Instantly, Tatia put it together. Elijah had moved on. He had moved on to a woman that she used to call a friend. Now she was a backstabber in Tatia's mind.

Without another word to Elijah, Tatia turned around an marched over to her so-called friend. Bella barely had time to open her mouth to greet Tatia when she slapped her across the face. Hard.

Bella gasped and placed a hand over her aching cheek. From behind a glaring Tatia, she could see Elijah frozen in shock. "What was that for?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"You little backstabber, Bella!" she hissed, her big brown eyes narrowed with fury. "Was this your plan all along? To be my friend then to steal my suitors away from me?"

Bella was not one for confrontation. She broke up fights, she didn't start them. But there was something about Tatia slapping her, calling her a man-stealing backstabber that lit a fire inside of her. maybe it was because Bella had had frustrations with Tatia before. But this time, Bella was not going to back down. She was going to fight back.

"It is not like you do not have any to spare," she growled back, pulling her hand away from the angry mark on her cheek. Her retort surprised Tatia- she did not expect Bella to fight back.

"You stole Elijah from me," Tatia hissed, her eyes narrowing again.

"I did no such thing. He was the one to finally realize he was too good for you. I just did not stop him," Bella argued evenly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you mean? So now I am not good enough for Elijah?" Tatia replied angrily.

"No, you're not," she replied in her same calm voice, anger just seeping through it.

"Oh, and you are?" Tatia scoffed. "Please. You are a freak from a family of freaks."

Bella hid her flinch. It had not been the first time Bella had been called a freak, and she was still sensitive on the subject. "I have liked Elijah since before you moved here," she said calmly. "And you knew it too."

Tatia opened her mouth to argue, but she cut her off. "No, you did. Everyone in this village but Elijah knew of my crush, why not you? And if I honestly believed for one second that you truly cared for him, I never would have kissed him back. never. I am not that type of person. But you do not care for Elijah, only the attention he gave you. If you did, you would not flirt with his brother in front of him. you would not have a dozen suitors fighting over you. That is what I mean when I say that he is too good for you, Tatia, because he is."

Bella took a deep breath and didn't look at Elijah. She prayed that he did not hear her speech, but he probably did. She turned to walk away, but Tatia grabbed her arm. "Why would he want you when he could have me?" she asked in a cool voice, though her brown eyes were alive with hostility.

That was what finally set Bella off. a ball of energy inside of her exploded, sending Tatia flying. She landed on the ground feet away, and stared up at Bella with wide eyes. but Bella wasn't looking at her. her gaze was focused on the area surrounding her. every breakable object was broken, glass was everywhere, broken pots littered the ground, people where shielding their bodies and faces. And everybody, absolutely everybody, was staring at her.

Bella gulped slightly, already regretting her loss of control. But Tatia had pushed her too far. "Freak," Tatia whispered again from the ground. Without a glance her direction, Bella ran away into the woods, to her clearing, the only place she had ever allowed herself to lose control.

She didn't realize she had company before she was halfway to the clearing. "Bella," she heard somebody practically shout before grabbing her arm.

Elijah pulled her around to face him, and she closed her eyes when she saw him. the last thing she needed was to have him call her a freak too.

"All you alright?" he asked softly, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Tatia said some cruel things to you, and then… well, I am not sure what happened after you two fought, but you looked shaken."

Her eyes fluttered open and she frowned at him. "You do not think me to be a freak?" she asked him, feeling very fragile and vulnerable at that moment.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Why would I?"

In response, Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. he chuckled slightly and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her to him.

After a few silent minutes, Elijah asked, slightly amused, "Do you really think me too good for Tatia?"

She blushed into his chest. "You heard that?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"I did," he said, running a hand through her hair. "It was very flattering, though"

"It was very embarrassing," she muttered. Bella liked where she was, in the middle of the woods in Elijah's arms. She wouldn't mind if she never left.

Elijah brought her face out of his chest and bent down to kiss her. his lips were warm against hers, and she closed her eyes. no, Bella would never tire of kissing Elijah.

"Elijah. Bella."

Their names were spoken sharply, and the two broke apart. Elijah froze when he saw the person who had interrupted them. "Mother," he muttered, embarrassed that his mother had caught him kissing Bella.

Bella turned around, her eyes widening at the sight of Ester. "Ester," she breathed, her face flushing.

Ester's eyes were unforgiving as she stared at Bella. She had ignored her warning, so now she had to take action to make sure that those fairies stayed away from her family. Bella bit her lip and stepped out of Elijah's arms. She knew exactly what she had done, and now the only thing she could do was prepare for the consequences and wait.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **so, people have asked for scary, powerful Bella. I hope you can settle for pissed off Bella who snaps for now. But scary Bella will make an appearance soon.

Thank you to: Sam0728, AudreyDarke96, Katerina The Von, and TVDobsession106 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :)


	13. the consequence

**Chapter thirteen**

_The consequence_

"I never thought you so selfish, Bella."

Bella flinched at Adora's cold words. it was true, though. She had been selfish. Despite Ester threatening her family, she kept seeing Elijah. She had been selfish.

"Adora," Adrian chastised, glaring at Adora.

"Yes Dora, I knew as well, and I did not think much of it," Halia stuck up for Bella, frowning at her eldest sister.

"It was a bit selfish of Bella," Joseph said, and Adora smirked smugly. "But Bella is always putting us first. She deserves to be selfish once in a while."

The smirk was wiped off of Adora's face. "She put us at risk!" she hissed. "Who knows what Ester is going to do? And you're all okay with that?"

"She should've told us," Gemma said, fixing Bella with a firm look. "But I do not blame her for continuing whatever she has with Elijah. She is practically in love with him."

Bella blushed at that, but she didn't argue. It touched her that her siblings were sticking up for her stupid mistake. "Yes, Bella deserves Elijah. After everything she's done for our family, she deserves to be happy. It is not her fault, that she did not wish to let him go," Garrett said. Bella beamed up at her little brother and kissed his cheek. He frowned at her and wiped it away. she giggled slightly.

"This is not a laughing matter," Adora snapped. "Ester is going to be planning something against us. Our family is at risk right now. How are we going to stop that?"

"I'll talk to her," Bella said calmly, feeling better after her sibling's kind words.

"You have done enough," Adora hissed coldly. Bella frowned, wondering why she was so angry. Adora had been more on edge these past few weeks, ever since she and Adrian started going into the caves.

"No, Bella would be the best one to talk to Ester," Joseph said, frowning at Adora's attitude. "And she shall take Halia with her. it's hard to be angry around Hallie."

"It was true. Just one bat of Halia's long eyelashes and she could get almost anything she wanted. It came along with her innocence and how naïve she seemed.

"Let us go then," Halia said cheerfully, standing up. They were lucky that their father was in his workshop, working on a sword, or he never would have let his two youngest daughters go to the Mikaelson household. They could only hope that Mikael didn't answer the door.

"Can you finish up dinner?" Bella asked Gemma, pushing her dark hair out of her face. Gemma nodded but didn't look too happy.

Bella and Halia walked out of their house and onto the thin path leading through the woods and to the village. There was a light drizzle, but the two sisters didn't mind. "So," Halia began, a wicked smile forming on her lips. "Ester caught you and Elijah kissing in the woods?"

Bella blushed but nodded. "Yes, he followed me there after I lost my temper and made a scene in the village." She hadn't told her family about her fight with Tatia.

Halia frowned. "What happened?"

She sighed. "Tatia slapped me because she convinced herself that I stole Elijah from her." she scoffed. Like any woman could steal a man from Tatia.

"You kind of did, Bella," Halia said thoughtfully. Bella frowned at her sister.

"What?" she asked, bemused.

"You stole Elijah from Tatia, as I stole Niklaus." Halia looked smug and Bella's frown deepened. She stole Elijah from her so-called friend? Bella hid a self-satisfied smile from her youngest sister.

"Anyway, Tatia called me a freak from a family of freaks, and I lost my control of my powers and broke a lot of breakable objects," Bella finished. She flinched slightly at the memory.

"Is it such a bad thing? To be different from everyone else?" Halia asked thoughtfully, stepping over a fallen branch.

"No, maybe it is not," Bella answered, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What is 'normal' anyway? Who decides what 'normal' is? and who are they to say who is normal and who is not?" Halia was getting fired up, and Bella was getting amused by her sister.

"If normal is Tatia, then I am proud to be a freak," Halia announced to the woods. She grinned up at her sister. "I wish I was there when you put that whore in her place."

"Halia!" Bella gasped at her sister's unabashed insulting of Tatia.

"What? It is true! She has a child, no husband, and too many suitors. That woman is a whore if I ever saw one," Halia argued.

Bella sighed and just shook her head at her sister. She spent too much time with Gemma.

When they reached the Mikaelson home, Bella knocked on the door. She prayed that Mikael would not answer. There is no way that he would let two Erikson daughters into his house. Thankfully, her prayers were answered, and Kol answered the door.

"Ah, Bella." He smirked at her. "Here to see Elijah?"

Bella contained her blush and held her head high. "No, I am actually here to see your mother. Is she here?" she asked.

"Yes, she is," Kol said. With one last wink at Halia, he turned to go get his mother. The two sisters stood outside of the door, waiting awkwardly for Ester to return. Just then, Elijah, Finn, and Niklaus returned from the woods and walked up to Halia and Bella.

As usual, Bella's heart raced at the sight of Elijah. She smiled at him, earning one back. "Bella," he greeted her. she was glad that things weren't awkward between them. His mother had walked in on them kissing, after all.

"Elijah." she nodded. Finn nodded at Bella before slipping past her and into his home, an amused smile on his lips.

Bella knew that it wouldn't help things with Ester, for her to catch Bella talking to her son. But she couldn't help herself. She rarely got to self-indulge, and being with Elijah was Bella's one act of selfishness.

"Are you going to the celebration tomorrow night?" he asked her. it would be the night before the full moon, and the celebration was to welcome a new family into the village.

"I suppose Gemma will drag me along," she said. "Will you be there?"

"Niklaus and Kol will not let me miss it," he said.

"All the more reason to go then," Bella said with a coy smile. It was times like that where she felt like Gemma was possessing her.

Elijah chuckled and opened his mouth to ask why she was at his house, when Bella suddenly frowned over his shoulder. "Halia!" she scolded.

Halia and Niklaus were currently locked in a tight embrace, kissing. Halia broke apart from Niklaus to frown at her sister. "What?" she asked.

"Really?" they were there to try to fix things with Ester, and Halia was kissing her son. Bella was suddenly starting to regret bringing her little sister along.

Before Halia could respond, Ester suddenly appeared in the doorway. "You wished to speak to me, Bella?" she asked, frowning when she saw her sons with the fairies.

"Yes." She nodded, glad that Halia wasn't still in Niklaus' arms. "Is there somewhere we can speak privately?"

"Yes, follow me." the two sisters followed Ester away from her house and her sons. Bella caught one last bemused frown from Elijah before he disappeared from sight.

"What is it you wish to speak to me about?" Ester asked, when they stopped a few yards away from her house.

"I wish to ask for your forgiveness, for ignoring your clear warning about staying away from Elijah," Bella started, using the most respectful voice she could muster.

"I gave you fair warning, Bella. I asked for you and your family to stay away from mine. you ignored that and now I must take action," Ester said calmly, unmoved.

"We are no danger to your family, Ester," Halia assured the witch. "There is no reason we cannot live in peace."

"I beg to differ," she answered coldly.

"We mean no harm, Ester," Bella tried again.

"I asked you to stay away from my son, Bella. I saw your outburst this morning. You are a danger to my son," she insisted.

"I care deeply for your son," Bella blurted out. "I would never hurt him, I swear."

Ester's eyes widened, but then narrowed. "If you really did care about him, you would not get him caught up in your fairy darkness."

"Look," Bella snapped, narrowing her eyes. "The way I see it is that there are two of you and seven of us. If you and Ayana wish for an all-out war, my family is more than capable of fighting back. but I do not wish to, Ester. Let us all just live in peace."

Ester's calculating gaze focused on Bella and she stared right back. finally, Ester sighed. "Alright, let us all just live in peace," she agreed.

Halia smiled, as did Bella. But a part of her didn't believe Ester's words. for that witch's calculating gaze was still too cold to hold any honesty in it.

_**~TLND~**_

That night, the siblings were cleaning up after dinner. Everyone was relaxed after Ester had agreed to not attack the fairies. but Bella was still wary. She did not trust Ester.

Suddenly, the sound of a shattered plate filled the air, and Bella jumped. She turned around to face Gemma, withering on the floor, clutching her throat.

"Gemma!" Halia was instantly at her side, trying to heal something. But there was nothing for her to heal. Halia could only heal physical wounds, no illnesses. But this was not an illness- this was a witch attack.

As her siblings gathered around Gemma, Bella set her plate down, a dark look on her face. "Ester," she cursed, before turning around and taking off into the night.

She would teach Ester a lesson for attacking her family.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: Belinda, TVDobsession106, Sam0728, Oryan Agam, purpleXorchid, and Katerina The Von for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :)


	14. the witches

**Chapter fourteen**

_The witches_

It was down pouring as Bella ran through the woods, and the rain soaked her to the bone. But she just ran as fast as she could through the woods. She didn't know how long it would take for the spell to kill Gemma, and she would not be losing a sibling that night.

As soon as she reached the Mikaelson house, she pounded on the front door. Her rage distracted her from the fact that if Mikael answered the door, she would be in huge trouble, by both Mikael and Erik. Thankfully, Elijah was the one to answer the door.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked, confused and alarmed by her expression. Bella was sure that she looked like a wild woman, dripping wet with wild eyes.

"Where's Ester?" she demanded, craning her head into the house, looking for the witch. She didn't know what she would do when she found Ester, but she would make her pay for attacking her family.

"I do not know," he said, and Bella sighed loudly, fear mixing with her anger. What if she didn't find Ester in time, and Gemma died?

A tear escaped from Bella's eye as she whirled around. She driven by her anger at first, but her fear for her sister was mellowing her anger. Elijah grabbed her before she could run away.

"Bella! What's wrong?" he repeated, becoming more alarmed by her tears.

In a rush, it all came out. "Ester put some sort of spell on Gemma!" she blurted out, angrily wiping away her tears. "She told me that if I did not stay away from you, she would attack my family. I did not listen, and now Gemma will die if I do not find Ester and stop her."

Elijah was lucky that he processed information quickly. His eyes widened at the news that Bella risked her family for him, but he quickly pushed that information aside to think about later. "We will find my mother, Bella. Gemma will be fine," he soothed her.

He could not describe his anger at his mother at that moment. First, for meddling with his relationship with Bella, then trying to kill Gemma. He was angry for Bella's sake, Kol's sake, and because he had known Gemma his whole life. He did not wish her death.

Bella shook her head furiously. "We do not have time, Elijah! Gemma is dying as we speak!" she exclaimed, before taking off again. She let her gut lead her away from the house, down a path where she knew there were caves. Elijah watched her run away, and decided to follow her just as somebody grabbed his arm.

"What is going on?" Kol. No matter how many times he denied it, Kol fancied Gemma. Had for a long time. He would want to know what their mother had done to Gemma. He would be furious with her, Elijah knew.

"Mother cast a spell on Gemma," he explained. "She wished for Bella and her family to stay away from us, and they did not. So she took it out on Gemma. She is dying as we speak, Kol."

His oak brown eyes widened. Elijah did not know what he expected. Anger. Indifference. A combination of both. But instead of either, Kol immediately pushed past Elijah and ran into the woods, in the direction of the Erikson house, in the direction of Gemma.

Bella ran into the same cave she had seven years ago, where Halia had injured herself. She stumbled in the darkness, bruising and cutting herself on jagged rocks. She ran as fast as she could, despite her lungs burning. When she reached a room in the cave, she heard chanting coming from it. Two voices chanting the same incantation. The same incantation that was currently killing her sister.

"Stop!" Bella screamed, bursting into the room. she noticed Ayana and Ester, their hands joined as they chanted a spell. "Stop it!"

Ester didn't look at Bella, but focused on chanting. She felt anger swell in her, directed at the witch. That damn witch. She focused her gaze on the witches, and they suddenly flew apart. Both flew into the rocky wall, and the incantation stopped. Bella noticed a bowl of herbs burning on the ground, and she waved her hand at it for good measure. They flew into the wall and smashed.

Ester turned her furious gaze onto Bella. She glared back. "You are angry at me, Ester. So take your anger on _me, _not my sister. She has done nothing!" Bella exclaimed, her voice echoing in the cave.

"It is not just you that I hold a grudge against, Bella. It is your species; your family. Fairies are dark, evil, power hungry creatures. The sooner they are destroyed, the better," Ester said in a firm voice.

Bella narrowed her eyes at Ester. She tried peace. She tried holding her anger at the witch back for Elijah's sake. But if Ester wanted a war between witches and fairies, she would get one.

Bella waved her hand at the rocky ceiling. A crack appeared, spreading until a huge chunk fell down, just missing Ester. Ester narrowed her eyes at Bella, and that was when the terrible pain in her head appeared.

Bella gritted her teeth, forcing herself to fight back. Suddenly, the walls began to shake, as Bella tried to fight off the pain. Pieces of rock began to fall from the sky, and that was when the burst of energy exploded from Bella, accompanied by a pain filled scream.

Bella was a powerful fairy, more powerful than either witch had imagined. Half the cave was destroyed, and both witches had just managed not to get hit by falling rock. Bella breathed heavily, the burst of energy seriously draining her.

"If you _ever _try to hurt my family, I will kill you. Both of you," Bella threatened, completely serious. It didn't matter that Ester was Elijah's mother, that Bella wasn't capable of hurting a fly. If Ester harmed her family again, Bella would personally see to it that she would no longer be alive.

She turned around and left the half-destroyed room. she briskly walked out of the cave, feeling power surge around her like electricity. She found Elijah at the end of the cave, and his presence calmed her down.

"What happened, Bella?" he asked, placing his hand on her cheek. She took a deep breath.

"I took care of it, Elijah. If Gemma… if Gemma did not die yet, she will be alright now," Bella said in a shaky voice.

"Did you…?" Elijah didn't finish his question, but Bella knew what he meant. Did she kill Ester.

She shook her head. "No, I did not." Bella didn't think it best to mention her death threat against his mother.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Bella. "I fear… I fear that I cannot be with you anymore, Elijah. Not without putting my family at risk." She gulped slightly, torn between her family and Elijah. She had to choose her family, of course. But that did not mean that she necessarily wanted to.

Elijah nodded, his throat tight. He understood. Like in many other ways, he and Bella were similar in that family always came first for them. But before each other, they never really had a reason to choose anything over family.

"I will talk to my mother. I will tell her that she has no control over who I choose to see. Who I choose to court. If it does not work, then I understand your decision," he said. It occurred to Bella just then that Elijah was Bella's suitor. She had a suitor, and it was the man of her dreams.

"I hope that she drops her threat against my family, Elijah. It takes everything I have, to let you go now." There it was. the honest truth of how much Bella cared for Elijah. She gave so much for her family. She was giving up the one person she ever really wanted for them.

"As it takes everything I have to let you let me go," Elijah said quietly. "I will talk to her, Bella. We will be together again, I promise. You will not have to let me go for too long."

She smiled slightly, wanting nothing more than to believe his words. who knew? Maybe Elijah's words, paired with her threat, might get through to Ester. Maybe she might get to keep both Elijah and her family.

He kissed her gently, softly. "We will be together again, I promise," she whispered to herself, slowly backing away from Elijah. She did not let go of his hand until she had to. with one last glance, she slowly walked away from Elijah, as he went into the caves to talk to his mother.

They would be together again.

_**~TLND~**_

"Mother."

Elijah's voice was cold, as he stared at his mother, who stood in a half-destroyed room with Ayana. One glance at Elijah and Ayana left the room quietly. Ester stared back at her eldest son.

"You have no right, telling Bella to stay away from me. you have no right to tell any of her siblings to stay away from us," he said. His voice was filled with cold, calm anger. The worst kind.

"Elijah, you do not understand. She is a fairy. they are all fairies. look around." Ester gestured to the destroyed room. "your precious Bella caused this. I told her to stay away for your own good."

"That is not the point. I do not care what she is. I care very deeply for her. I am a man and you have no right to scare off the women I want, the women I care about." Elijah paused. "Kol knows that you attacked Gemma tonight. He will not be too pleased. He cares for her. it seems that your plan to keep your family safe is already tearing us apart, turning us against you."

Ester silently processed her son's words. "Make peace with the fairies, mother. Because if I lose Bella, if Niklaus loses Halia, if Kol loses Gemma, because of you, we will never forgive you," he said sincerely.

Ester sighed. "Fine. I will make peace with the fairies," she agreed. Relief washed over Elijah. He and Bella would be together again. They were hardly separated.

Yes, Ester would make peace with the fairies.

For now.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **I feel like I didn't make Bella badass enough, but I tried. I hope that her death threat helped.

thank you to: Sam0728, Belinda, thetrueoriginal, and TVDobsession106 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :)


	15. the werewolf

**Chapter fifteen**

_The werewolf_

"So, Ester called for peace?" Bella asked Adora the next morning, while the two prepared breakfast. Ester, Adora, and Adrian had talked last night, while Bella was busy making sure that Gemma was okay. Despite being abnormally pale and shaken, Gemma told her to stop suffocating her and went to sleep.

Adora nodded. "I did not want to agree, but Adrian made me."

Bella's happiness about not being forced to let Elijah go was cut short. "Why wouldn't you agree to peace?" she asked, frowning.

"Because that witch almost killed Gemma! She wishes to kill us all! I do not trust her to keep her word. But Adrian pointed out that our families are intertwined in so many ways. It would make everything so messy and complicated if I did not agree," Adora explained.

Bella was back in her blissful state. She got to keep Elijah, that was all that mattered. The other details were irrelevant. But Bella absentmindedly thought that another reason Adora agreed to a truce with Ester was because of Niklaus.

"Are you going to the celebration tonight?" Bella asked her, moving on to lighter topics.

"Yes, I am. The son of the family moving here is supposed to be young and handsome and single- I must introduce myself." Adora smirked and Bella smiled and shook her head at her sister.

"I suppose I will as well," she said, chopping up vegetables.

"We will not be seeing much of you, then. You and Elijah will undoubtedly spend most of your time kissing in the woods," Adora said and Bella blushed.

"Good riddance, I say," Gemma said, walking into the kitchen. "If Elijah keeps you from ruining my fun with men and wine, I will approve of him even more. Your future marriage and five future children have my blessing- as long as you name one after me."

Bella ignored the blush that crept to her cheeks when her future with Elijah was brought up and frowned at her sister. "You will be attending the celebration tonight?"

"Of course she will. Kol will be there," Adora said, earning a fierce glare from Gemma and a smirk from Bella.

The second Kol had found out that Gemma was dying, he ran to the Erikson house. The rest of the family was surprised to see him, but they let him go to Gemma and pull her into his arms. He just held her silently until the spell stopped. Gemma even hugged Kol to her, glad that he was with her. but as soon as the spell was over, she jumped out of his arms and he seemed to come out of the trance Gemma being in trouble put him in. Kol ran away and Gemma snapped at her siblings for letting him into the house in the first place.

But in truth, that encounter just made both of them even more confused about their feelings.

"Yes, I am going to the celebration- and not because Kol will be there. I am going because I deserve some fun, after I almost died," she said, before walking out of the room.

Bella just shook her head at Gemma. She and Kol had feelings for each other, they just couldn't see it.

She could already tell that the celebration that night was going to eventful.

_**~TLND~**_

The entire Erikson family was forced to go to the celebration, because Erik wanted to do business with the father of the family who was joining the village. The girls didn't mind, though. They all wanted to go.

Bella was pacing impatiently around the bonfire, waiting for Elijah. She hadn't seen him since the day before, where they had agreed to separate to keep her family safe. Granted, their separation hadn't lasted long, but Bella had still missed him.

"Hello there."

Bella stopped her pacing and looked up at a smirking young man. he was handsome, with black hair and hazel eyes, and he radiated arrogance. She frowned at him, trying to get a good read about his character.

"Hello," she said politely. The man grabbed her hand and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I am Samuel," he introduced himself. "And you would be?"

"Bella," she said, frowning slightly as she tried to place him. "Bella Erikson. Are you new here?"

"Indeed. I believe that this celebration is being held for me and my family," he said. Bella suddenly realized that he was the men Adora had been talking about.

"Oh. Well, welcome to the village." She offered him a friendly smile, and pulled her hand away from him. there was something about his smirk that made her uneasy. It was not like with Jon, where she knew he was a bad man. Samuel just made Bella uneasy.

"If you excuse me, I really must find someone," she said, her eyes searching for Elijah.

Samuel pouted. "Oh, come on Bella. Can you not show the new man around town?"

"There is not much to see. The white oak tree is in the middle of the village, trade is held in the middle, and houses surround it. There are plenty of caves where people retreat to when the men change into wolves. And the woods surround everything," she said briskly.

Samuel smirked again. "I do not need to worry about retreating to the caves, sweet Bella," he said haughtily.

She frowned slightly. Was that why he made Bella uneasy was Samuel a-? "You are a werewolf," she whispered.

She had never met one face-to-face, and knew very little about them. They were only dangerous during the full moon. They had to kill a person in order to trigger the curse. It was painful, changing into a werewolf. Wolfsbane weakened them considerably.

"Yes, I am, little fairy," he purred in her ear. Then he smirked at somebody behind her, and pulled away. "It does not look like Elijah Mikaelson likes me being close to you."

Bella turned around to see Elijah a few yards away from them. His jaw was set, his eyes were cold, but other than that, he gave nothing away that he was anything other than calm and cool.

"I must go speak to him," she said, walking away from Samuel.

"Alright, little fairy. we will see each other soon," he said, before walking away from her. Bella turned and walked towards Elijah. She offered him a small smile when she reached him.

"I missed you," she murmured. Elijah's face softened at that.

"It has not even been a day since we last saw each other, Bella," he reminded her, sounding amused.

"Still, the last time I saw you I thought it would be the last time for a while," she said, completely forgetting about Samuel. It seemed like Elijah did as well.

He grabbed her hand and their fingers intertwined. "I spoke with my mother. She will not break us apart again, Bella," he said.

She smiled slightly. "I hope not."

Elijah's brown eyes went across the village, to where Samuel was talking with Joseph. Samuel smirked at Elijah, a challenging glint in his eyes. Elijah knew that, even though Ester was out of their way for the time being, a flirtatious werewolf was going to take her place.

Samuel had his eye on Bella, but Elijah was not going to let her go so easily.

_**~TLND~**_

Gemma was hell bent on avoiding Kol. Kol was hell bent on avoiding Gemma. So, of course, the first people they run into at the celebration are each other.

"Gemma." Kol nodded curtly.

"Kol." Gemma pursed her lips and looked around for an escape route. Just as she went to walk around him, Kol grabbed her arm.

"You are alright, yes?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "Fine."

"Good."

He let go of her arm, and went to walk away, when she stopped him. "Why did you come to my house yesterday?" she blurted out.

He raised an eyebrow. "Elijah told me that my mother cast a spell on you, and that you were dying. Was that not true?"

"No, it was. but why would it matter to you?" she questioned.

Kol laughed and just shook his head "Oh, Gemma. You are so oblivious," he said, before turning around to leave her.

Gemma glared at him and followed him. "I am not, you arse!" she exclaimed, hitting his shoulder.

"Ow!" Kol rubbed his shoulder and glared at Gemma. "You are a crazy bitch."

She didn't even flinch. "And you are an arrogant dick," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

The thing Gemma hated most about her feelings for Kol were that they changed constantly and rapidly. One moment, she hates him. the next, she is jealous of any woman who holds his attention. She wished that her feelings weren't so complicated.

She shook her head to clear it. At that moment, Gemma was back to hating Kol. "I cannot believe I ever thought I had feelings for you," she muttered, turning away from him.

Kol sighed and grabbed her shoulder. "Why, because I called you a crazy bitch and you called me an arrogant dick? We both know both of those things are true. That is how we work, Gemma. I tell you when you're being a crazy bitch and you tell me when I'm being an arrogant dick."

"Which is all the time," she muttered, but Kol just smirked slightly.

"You're oblivious, Gemma," he repeated.

"Of what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, though her heart was racing. Slowly, she was starting to fancy Kol.

Instead of speaking, Kol leaned in and kissed her. Gemma stiffened and pulled away almost instantly. "I told you not to do that," she muttered.

At that moment, Gemma realized that her feelings for Kol were complicated. They were not like Elijah and Bella, or Halia and Niklaus. They were a complicated couple who showed their affection for each other by pissing the other off. yes, Kol annoyed Gemma, but had she ever really hated him? no.

_You're oblivious, Gemma. _Of what? His feelings for her? her feelings for him? both, probably. Had Kol already come to accept that he fancied the girl he had spent most of his life annoying like it was his sole purpose? She guessed that he had come to the same realization that she had.

Yes, Gemma Erikson fancied Kol Mikaelson, and he fancied her back. if possible, it made the two hate each other even more.

Without thinking, Gemma wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. he kissed her hungrily back. in the darkness of the night, near the edge of the woods, Kol and Gemma kissed each other like they might never get the chance to again.

Yes, there really was a thin line between love and hate.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: TVDobsession106, Sam0728, and Belinda for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	16. the jealousy

**Chapter sixteen**

_The jealousy_

As the celebration wore on, Bella found herself constantly fighting off Samuel's advances. He was always winking at her, flirting with her, saying suggestive things, all to get a reaction out of Elijah. But he just remained stoically at Bella's side, seemingly calm though his eyes were cold.

"You are very beautiful, Bella," Samuel told her bluntly, handing her a goblet of wine. Bella blushed and Samuel smirked. Elijah felt his unspoken jealousy intensify. He liked to think that he was the only one capable of making Bella blush like that.

"Isn't she?" Elijah said, pushing her dark hair out of her face and pulling her closer to him. Bella saw this as an affectionate gesture, while Samuel saw this as a possessive one. Elijah meant it as both. He was conveying how much he cared about the small woman next to him while making it clear that she was his.

Bella's face turned bright red. She hated attention like the kind she was getting. Elijah had told her that she was beautiful- on the inside and out- before, and she always squirmed uncomfortably. "Thank you," she muttered, not comfortable with compliments.

Suddenly, music started, indicating that a dance would be starting. Elijah opened his mouth to ask Bella to dance, but Samuel was quicker. "May I have this dance, Bella?" he purred, his hazel eyes twinkling with mischief.

Bella bit her lip. She wasn't a dancer to begin with- dancing required grace and balance, two things Bella did not have- but if she had to dance, she would dance with Elijah. Still, Samuel was a part of the family whom the celebration was being thrown for, and it would be rude to deny his request.

"Yes, I suppose so," she murmured, taking Samuel's offered arm. With one last apologetic look shot at Elijah, she let Samuel lead her away.

Bella felt awkward, dancing with Samuel. His hand kept slipping too low down her back, creeping towards her butt. "So, you and Elijah. You two are not married or engaged, yes?" Samuel asked as the dance began.

She forced herself not to blush and nodded. "No, we are definitely not engaged or married," she muttered. Only in her dreams.

"Is he courting you then?" Samuel persisted, and Bella frowned.

"I do not know. You would have to ask him yourself," she said a bit gruffly, as Samuel's hand came to rest on her waist, her hand was on his shoulder, and their other hands were joined. They began to move with the other couples, and Bella was constantly stumbling around.

"I just wish to know who my competition is." Samuel smirked, and Bella's cheeks heated up. She cursed him inwardly for being so gifted at making her blush.

"I care very deeply for Elijah, and I would like to think that he returns those feelings," she murmured, causing Samuel to frown.

Suddenly, it was time to change partners. Samuel spun her right into the arms of Elijah. She stumbled, but he caught her and steadied her. he smiled down at her, as they got into position.

"What were you two talking about?" Elijah asked casually as they danced. Bella felt less awkward dancing with Elijah, because she was comfortable around him.

"Oh, just… he was just asking about us," she murmured vaguely, hoping that Elijah didn't press the topic. Thankfully, he didn't.

"I do not care for the way he looks at you, how he always touches you, how he's always flirting with you…" Elijah trailed off, and Bella smirked slightly.

"Elijah Mikaelson," she murmured. "Are you jealous?"

"I would not know how you got that impression, Bella," he said dismissively, but Bella's smirk didn't go away. it was flattering, that he was jealous. It meant that he didn't want to lose her.

"Don't be," she murmured softly. "But be careful, Elijah. Samuel is a werewolf- you do not want him to hold a grudge against you."

Elijah's eyes widened slightly. "He is?" he asked.

Bella nodded, just as the song ended. "Shall we go on a walk, just you and I?" she asked, not pulling away from him.

Elijah smiled slightly. "I would love to. let me get us drinks." Elijah pulled away from her, but not without kissing her softly first.

Bella watched Elijah walk away, and waited patiently for him to return. Suddenly, she was not waiting alone. "Elijah has finally left you alone, I see," Samuel murmured in her ear. "He has not left your side all night. I do not think he trusts you, to behave while he has his back turned. It's always the quiet ones that turn out to be the wildest ones when you get enough wine into them."

Bella sighed. "Elijah trusts me. He and I are perfectly capable of doing things without one another. We are not attached at the hip." Samuel was starting to annoy her.

"Oh really? Because you do not seem so sure of yourself when he is not with you," Samuel replied.

Bella pursed her lips and went to reply, but he continued on. "I feel as if you do not know that you have other options besides Elijah Mikaelson, Bella. There are plenty of men out there who want you- you do not have to settle."

Bella glared at him. "I am not settling for Elijah! If anything, he is settling for me-" Bella was suddenly cut off when his mouth crashed against hers.

She jerked and tried to pull away, but his grip on her arms were tight and unbreakable. Went to kick him, when Samuel was suddenly pulled off of her.

Bella breathed heavily, and her gaze trained on Elijah, who was glaring at Samuel with the burning intensity of the sun. without warning, Elijah's calm, stoic stature snapped and he punched Samuel in the jaw.

Bella gasped, eyes going wide. "Elijah!" she exclaimed, pulling him away from Samuel. Did he realize what he had just done? He had attacked a werewolf. With the full moon tomorrow, Samuel could mark him and his family and kill them.

"_Elijah!" _

Bella flinched at the voice, so full of rage. Elijah seemed to come back to his senses, for his eyes were wide as he realized what he had just done. Samuel stood up again, clutching his jaw. Werewolves healed fast, though.

Instead of being angry, there was an easygoing grin on his lips. "Well, I suppose I had that coming," he murmured.

Mikael showed up, glaring at Elijah with an anger he saved specifically for Niklaus. Elijah was the good son. He did as told, never caused trouble or disgrace for his family. But then he and Bella got together, and that all changed. He was sneaking out at night to meet with his father's rival's daughter, and punching werewolves for kissing her. Bella was the root of Elijah's disobedience.

"_What did you do?" _he growled. Elijah did not know how to answer. It was always Niklaus or Kol who did things like this, and who got caught.

Elijah shot Bella a look out of the corner of his eye, telling her to leave. Her presence would cause more harm than good. She nodded slightly, then walked away, concerned for Elijah. Who knew what Mikael would do to him?

Bella walked into the woods that practically consumed her village. She found comfort in the trees and the sounds of nocturnal animals. She had to only wait ten minutes for Elijah to find her. And when he did, he looked worse for the wear.

Angry whip marks covered his skin, along with forming bruises. She gasped and instantly ran to his side, inspecting his punishment marks. They were because of her. Elijah punched Samuel because of her.

Bella lightly touched one of the whip marks on his arm. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why would you be?"

"I am the reason you got punished," she murmured.

He gave her a pointed look. "No, my impulsive and reckless behavior got me punished. I deserved it. If Samuel and his father were not so understanding, I could have gotten my family killed. it is not your fault, Bella," Elijah repeated, cupping her face.

She exhaled loudly. "If you say so." She returned her attention to the bruises and whip marks. "We will get Halia to heal you. They look like they hurt."

Elijah shrugged. "It is not that bad," he said dismissively, but they both knew that he was lying to make her feel better.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Men," she muttered to herself. They always had to seem strong and invincible, like pain was nonexistent.

Bella entwined their fingers together, and they started walking back towards the celebration, in search of Halia. Suddenly, Bella tripped over some invisible object, let go of Elijah's hand, and landed on her face.

Elijah chuckled as he helped her off up the ground. There was dirt on her face, and he wiped it away. there was small smile on Bella's lips, finding the situation embarrassing yet amusing at her own expense.

He shook his head slightly. Bella- clumsy and shy and compassionate. _His _Bella. "I lo-" he started to say, but was cut off when a young couple stumbled into the woods, a trail of clothes behind them. They were kissing heatedly, tugging at the other's clothes.

Bella's eyes widened. _"Gemma? Kol?"_

Despite how she always teased Gemma about liking Kol, she thought she'd never see the day where they would be kissing in the woods, a few articles of clothing away from having sex. Yet, there was the evidence, right in front of her.

"Do you two mind?" Kol managed to pull away from Gemma long enough to smirk at Bella and his brother. "Because I am about to be completely naked in ten seconds…"

Gemma just shrugged as Bella sent her a questioning glance. Bella was going to get all the details from her tomorrow, though. Then she and Elijah walked away to avoid seeing Kol naked.

Adora had finally gotten Niklaus by himself. Halia was off with Rebekah somewhere, so Adora used that chance to talk to Niklaus- to flirt with him.

But no matter how many advances Adora made, he always pushed her away and brought up Halia. It was so annoying, how much he talked about Halia. It was like she was the only girl in the world for him, the only one he had eyes for. Both were true, Halia was the only woman for him, the only one he wanted.

Adora refused to accept that, though. Even though it was obvious, how crazy Niklaus was for Halia, she kept flirting with him. but when Niklaus had just talked about Halia one too many times, she got sick of her perfect little sister. It was like the sun shone out of her arse.

Instead of snapping at Niklaus to shut up, Adora did one better.

She kissed him.

And Elijah and Bella witnessed the entire thing, from the edge of the forest.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **so, I outlined the rest of this story last night. we have 14 chapters left- we end at 30.

Thank you: Katerina The Von, purpleXorchid, TVDobsession106, Belinda, and Sam0728 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :)


	17. the love triangle

**Chapter seventeen**

_The love triangle_

Bella found it nearly impossible to look Halia in the eyes.

She and Elijah had witnessed Adora and Niklaus kissing. She hadn't stuck around to see if Niklaus kissed Adora back. she had grabbed Elijah's hand and pulled him back into the woods, making sure to stay far away from Gemma and Kol, who were probably at it like two sex deprived animals.

She hadn't told Halia about the kiss, and the guilt was eating her alive. Bella was sure that she couldn't feel more guilty even if she had been the sister to kiss Niklaus. She and Elijah hadn't talked about the kiss, both knowing that it meant a love triangle was going to form.

A few days after the full moon, Halia and Bella were walking through the woods together. Bella kept her lips firmly together, in order to hold the secret that Adora kissed Niklaus in. Halia was oblivious to Bella's strange behavior, though.

"Niklaus has been acting strange lately," she said, twirling a yellow flower between her fingers as they walked. "Distant, almost."

Bella gritted her teeth together. He was acting distant because of the kiss, she knew. The only reason Bella hadn't told Halia yet was because she knew that the news would be a lot worse coming from her. Niklaus had to tell Halia, if he wanted even a chance of keeping what they had alive.

"I care for him so much, Bella," Halia murmured. "I know we have only been together for a few weeks, but I am falling for him. fast and hard. He really is sweet, when you get past the charming womanizer exterior. I know he cares for me a great deal- he's told me."

"I feel so sorry for him, though," Halia continued. "Because of Mikael. He is strict on all of his children, but it is almost like he holds a grudge against Niklaus. You should see some of the wounds he's given him. it took a lot out of me, to heal a particularly bad one a few days ago."

Bella closed her eyes. Niklaus did care for Halia, and she didn't want to believe that he would cheat on her with her own sister. That was why she was giving him the benefit of the doubt. She was giving him the chance to explain what had happened to Halia, but so far he hadn't.

"Imagine, Bella," Halia said suddenly, grinning widely. "If Niklaus and I married, and you and Elijah married. We would be sisters!" she joked, but it wasn't in Bella to smile.

"I do not see Gemma or Kol as the marrying type, so I suppose that that means they will be the first to marry and have a dozen arrogant kids with anger issues." Halia laughed at the thought. A dozen mini Kols and Gemmas running around- that was the last thing the world needed.

Maybe Niklaus hoped that the whole thing would blow over. But Bella was going to explode if she had to keep this secret from Halia any longer. She couldn't handle Halia going on and on about how much she cared about Niklaus. She couldn't handle seeing Adora's smug smirk.

Suddenly, a baby tree a few feet away from the sisters split down the middle with a crack that sounded like lightning. Halia jumped and frowned at Bella. "Did you do that?" she asked.

Bella wasn't paying attention, though. "I have to go," she muttered distractedly. "Excuse me, sister."

Bella wasn't one to interfere in affairs that did not involve her. but ever since she had seen Adora and Niklaus kiss, she had become involved. So Bella searched through the village for Adora without any reservations. She had to have a long conversation with her eldest sister.

Bella found Adora by a vendor selling necklaces. When the blonde saw Bella, there was a knowing glint in her eyes. "Can I have a word, sister?" she asked.

Adora nodded and set down the necklace she was looking at. "Yes, you may. Let us take a walk," she said, gesturing to the woods.

Bella and Adora walked in silence for a few minutes. "I suppose I know why you wish to talk to me, sister," Adora said quietly.

"You kissed Niklaus the night of the celebration," Bella stated bluntly.

"I did," she replied casually, not even trying to deny it.

"Knowing full well that he and Halia were seeing each other," Bella continued, gaining more anger in her voice.

"Until Halia and Niklaus are married, I will not stop my advances on him," Adora said.

"Halia is our baby sister, Adora!" Bella exclaimed, glaring at her. "How could you do that to her? she is falling in love with Niklaus, and you knew it, too."

"All is fair in love and war," she responded, her gaze holding no guilt. "And I love Niklaus."

"You are delusional if you think that Niklaus will ever love you back," Bella snapped. Adora responded by slapping her across the face.

Bella's cheek stung, and she placed her hand over it. "You are the delusional one, Bella," Adora hissed, glaring. Then she stormed off.

Bella sighed again, her cheek stinging. She could get Halia to heal it, but then she would have to bring up her conversation with Adora. Bella decided it best just to let the welt go away on its own.

Bella made her way back to the village, needing somebody to talk to. She found that person, or more like that person found her.

"Bella." Elijah looked down at her with concern in his brown eyes. "How are you doing?"

She sighed and ran a hand over my face. "The guilt is eating me alive, Elijah," she muttered.

"And why would you feel guilty?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I have to listen to Halia go on and on about how much she fancies Niklaus, all the while thinking about how he was kissing Adora only a few short days ago," she explained.

"We do not know that. it could have been just Adora kissing him," Elijah said.

"But he has a history of doing such things, Elijah," she argued.

"Yes, he does. But he does not have a history of caring for girls like he cares for Halia. I do not believe that he would to that to her." Bella took a deep breath, and Elijah pulled her into his arms. She allowed herself to relax, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"The stress you inflict on yourself is going to eat you alive, Bella," he murmured to her.

"I cannot help it, getting caught up in the dramas of my family," she murmured into his shoulder, closing her eyes.

Elijah smiled slightly. "I completely understand."

Bella pulled away after a few moments of peace and calm. "Where are you going?" Elijah asked, frowning as she pulled away from him.

"I need to have a talk with your brother," she said

"Do try not to kill him, because I am sure you'd love to at the moment." She smiled slightly.

"No promises," Bella murmured, turning away from him. Elijah caught her arm before she could walk away.

"Wait." Bella turned around to face him, and that was when Elijah kissed her. she closed her eyes., his lips warm and soft and firm against hers.

"_Relax, Bella," _he whispered to her, before pulling away. When Bella opened her eyes, he was gone.

Bella found Niklaus in the village, by himself. He sighed as she walked up to him. "I know why you're here," he said.

"You need to choose between my sisters. I will not have you messing with their hearts," Bella said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That is easy- Halia. It was always Halia," Niklaus said.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Then why-?"

"I did not kiss Adora, Bella," he said quickly. "She kissed me and I pushed her away."

Bella nodded, relaxing. "Then you need to talk to Adora, Niklaus," she said, already making to walk away.

"Oh, and Niklaus?" he turned around to face her. "If you hurt Halia. I will make your life a living hell."

And then Bella was gone.

Niklaus found Adora near the woods. He had to make his feelings clear to her. Adora smiled flirtatiously when she saw him. "Hello," she greeted him.

"Adora," he said. "We need to talk."

She frowned. "About what?"

"About the kiss," Niklaus responded, and Adora smirked and pushed her blonde hair out of her face.

'Yes, it was good, wasn't it?"

He shook his head. "That is not what I mean, Adora."

She frowned at him. "Then what do you mean, Niklaus?"

"I want Halia," he stated bluntly. "She is the only one I want. I do not know if I gave you the impression that I was interested in you, but I am not. I will always want Halia, Adora," he repeated.

Adora's eyes widened and then narrowed as she took in that information. No, she would not let her little sister have the man she loved.

"Well, that is quite a shame," she said casually. "Because, you see, if I cannot have you, neither can my sister. I will see to that."

Then Adora walked off, leaving Niklaus thinking about her words and what she meant by them.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: Belinda, TVDobession106, Sam0728, thetrueoriginal, SageX13, and Katerina The Von for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :)


	18. the confession

**Chapter eighteen**

_The confession_

"So Gemma- dear, sweet Gemma, how was your hate sex with Kol?"

Halia snorted with laughter, and Garrett shook with silent laughter, and Joseph smirked at Gemma. "Joseph, it was not hate sex," Halia choked out. "Did you not hear? Our sweet Gemmy is in _love."_

This set off Joseph, Halia, and Garrett again. "Oh, shut up you three," Gemma snapped, bitter.

"Just admit it, Gemma," Garrett said, holding his stomach from laughing so hard. "You fancy Kol. It was not hate sex- it was love sex."

Gemma gritted her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest. "I suppose that, some days I do not completely loathe him," she mumbled. "But then other days I wish to stab him with a sharp object."

"All I heard is that you wish to have Kol's children," Halia said cheekily, grinning. Then she and her brothers burst into laughter. Gemma fancied Kol Mikaelson. No one found that idea funnier than those three.

Gemma huffed in annoyance. Though, she had to admit, Kol didn't annoy her nearly as much as he used to. she chalked it up to the amazing sex they had had. It put her into a good mood. Still, Gemma was not being completely honest to herself or her siblings. She fancied Kol Mikaelson, and he knew it, too.

Suddenly, she felt somebody grab her arse. She gasped and jumped slightly. She heard a chuckle from behind her. she whirled around and glared at Kol. "Kol!" she exclaimed, hitting him.

"I am just showing my appreciation, Gemma," he said innocently. She rolled her eyes and pushed him away. she noticed that Halia, Garrett, and Joseph left. She could still hear their laughter ringing in her ears.

"Oh, you know you love me, Gem," he said, pulling her back to him. "How could you not?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I do not know, Kol. You are very loveable," she said sarcastically, grinning despite herself.

"Not forget my charm and how handsome I am," Kol added with a smirk. She smothered her laughter into her sleeve.

"How about you and I sneak off again and go for round two?" he murmured, as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his chest. he kissed her neck, and Gemma jumped slightly. They were getting looks for behaving the way that was saved for the bedroom only.

"I cannot, I…" Gemma trailed off, her excuse lost in the fog that appeared in her mind as Kol continued to kiss her neck, trailing to her collar bone and to her jugular.

"What was that?" he asked, smirking as his fingers making little circles as he moved his hands to rest on her hips.

"I can't, Kol. I- I have to…" she closed her eyes as he kissed her, turning her head to face him.

People grumbled at their public display of affection, muttering "get a room!" as they passed them. Kol smirked against Gemma's lips and pulled away from her. "That was exactly what I was thinking," he said, before pulling Gemma towards his house. She was lost in a haze of desire, and followed him blindly.

Even though Bella had told off both Adora and Niklaus, she still felt guilty that Halia didn't know about the kiss. She was going to burst if she had to keep that secret any longer.

"I will talk to him, Bella," Elijah assured her as they walked through town.

"Can you, Elijah? Tell him that he needs to tell Halia about the kiss?" Bella asked, a little desperate.

He nodded and entwined their fingers, Bella's hand small and soft in his big, calloused one. "Do you ever think that we get involved in our siblings' affairs too often?" Elijah asked after a few moments of silence.

"All the time. It really kills the mood, does it not?" Bella shook her head slightly. She and Elijah were too invested in their families, and they had the tendency to take priority over their romance.

"Sometimes I think that you and I should just run off somewhere we would be alone, where they cannot bother us," Elijah mused and Bella smiled slightly.

"That sounds nice, peaceful, calm. Just us." She her smile grew wider at the thought. "I would miss my family, though," she said after a few beats of silence.

Elijah nodded in agreement. "And they would probably stop functioning without us," he added. It was true; Elijah and Bella kept their families running. They gave and gave to them until there was nothing left to take.

"I shall go and find Niklaus right now," Elijah said, slowly pulling his hand away.

Bella sighed but nodded. She would miss the temporary peaceful bliss Elijah provided her. "Alright. I wish you luck," she said.

Before Bella could leave, Elijah held her back. "Meet me at the oak tree tonight," he said. "Midnight. I have something I need to tell you."

Bella frowned. "What?" she asked, but Elijah just smiled cryptically and shook his head.

"I will tell you tonight," he promised. Then he kissed her gently on the lips and then the forehead before leaving.

Elijah found Niklaus only a few minutes later. "We need to talk, brother," he announced, walking to his side.

Niklaus sighed. "Bella already talked to me, about the kiss with Adora," he said.

"Now I am here to talk to you about telling Adora about the kiss with Adora." Niklaus sighed.

"I do not know how she will react to that, Elijah," he muttered, looking at a few birds on the ground a few feet away.

"She will find out somehow, Niklaus. Trust me, she will. Halia will react a lot better if the news comes from you," Elijah said. "At least give Halia the respect of finding out the truth from you and not some stranger."

Niklaus nodded slightly. "The kiss with Adora did not mean anything, Elijah," he said suddenly.

"Really, it is Halia I want. Adora was just a flirtation. It is Halia I lo-" Niklaus cut himself off, and Elijah smiled sympathetically.

"I understand, brother," he said. "Trust me, I understand."

He understood, because he felt that same way about another fairy. one with jet black hair, bright green eyes, and the softest smile. One who was kind and compassionate but stern and not afraid to keep her siblings in line.

Yes, Elijah understood how it felt, to go from infatuated with Tatia one day to a fairy in a matter of weeks. Only, he was convinced that what he felt for Bella was deeper than an infatuation. And he intended to tell her that, that night.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella snuck out of her house that night, like she had done a number of times before. All to meet up with the man she planned to meet. She had to admit, she was nervous about what Elijah planned to tell her. was it good news? Or was it heartbreaking news?

Bella found Elijah waiting for her at the oak tree, which had quickly become their tree, for they always met up there. He smiled at her when he saw her, but there was a hint of nervousness in that smile. Bella's eyebrows furrowed as she walked towards him.

What did Elijah plan to tell her, and why was he nervous about it?

"You came," he said as she walked to his side.

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Why would I not?" she asked.

Elijah just shook his head and bent down to kiss her. The feeling of Elijah's warm, rough, and gentle lips against hers calmed them both down a little bit. Bella closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Elijah's neck, deepening the kiss.

After a few minutes of kissing, they pulled away to breathe. Bella looked around to make sure that there was no one around watching them, and there wasn't. the only light came from the moon in the sky, only offering enough light to see your immediate surroundings.

"What is it you wish to tell me, Elijah?" Bella asked, breathing hard. She leaned against the oak tree and smoothed down her dress.

"Oh, yes." Elijah's nervousness returned quickly. "I am just worried that it is too soon, that you will not feel the same way."

Bella's eyebrows furrowed again. "You will never know unless you tell me, Elijah," she said softly.

Elijah took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Then he pushed a stray lock of hair behind Bella's ear. He smiled softly, his brown eyes never leaving her green ones.

"I love you, Bella."

Bella had imagined Elijah saying those words to her many times in many different ways. Still, she always expected it just to remain a dream. She always expected being with Elijah to just remain a dream. Yet, it was reality, Elijah standing in front of her, just done confessing his love for her.

When she imagined Elijah telling her he loved her, she always reacted the same way. She was calm, cool, mature. She offered him a smile and said them back. but in reality, Bella stared up at Elijah with wide eyes.

"What?" she choked out, believing what had happened too good to be true.

Elijah shifted uncomfortably, the sting of rejection threatening him. "I love you," he repeated.

Suddenly, a jolt of surprise laughter came out of Bella. She finally seemed to realize that she hadn't imagined Elijah telling her he loved her, it was real.

"I love you too, Elijah," she answered, a grin slowly forming on her lips. "I have for years, I think. I just never admitted it to anyone, not even myself."

Suddenly, Elijah pulled Bella into his arms, his lips crashing down on hers. The kiss was soft and gentle and romantic to start, both reveling in the fact that they both loved and were loved back. but slowly, it turned more passionate as lust and desire got the better of them.

Somehow, Elijah and Bella made it back to his bedroom without waking any member of his family. Bella moaned against his lips as he pulled off her dress. They were both lost in a haze of love, lust, and passion, but neither regretted what was happening.

Two things Bella had only dreamed about came true on the same night. Elijah confessed his love for her, and didn't laugh at her when she admitted to loving him. Then they made love. It was true, Elijah and Bella gave a lot for their families. And for the first time ever, they were getting something that was just for them. They were getting each other.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you: Sam0728, TVDobsession106, and Belinda for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	19. the morning after

**Chapter nineteen**

_The morning after_

When Bella woke up completely naked in Elijah's bed with a naked Elijah sleeping at her side, it only took her two seconds to remember what had happened last night. then a huge grin formed on her lips. She was in love with Elijah, and he loved her back. then she lost her virginity to him.

Bella didn't regret sleeping with Elijah, not even for a second. Last night was the best night of her life. She didn't even have to worry about Elijah kicking her out of bed and telling her that last night meant nothing, because he _loved _her, and because that wasn't Elijah. He was gentlemen who _loved _her.

Bella would never tire of thinking that.

Suddenly, she felt a kiss placed against her temples. "Hello there," Elijah murmured as he woke up.

She beamed up at him. "Hello," she said, her grin permanently glued to her lips. She rested her head on Elijah's bare chest and snuggled into his side.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Elijah playing with a lock of Bella's dark hair. "I love you," he said suddenly, casually almost, like it should be common knowledge.

Bella's eyes opened and she smiled into his chest. "I love you too." It felt so nice to say that, to get it off of her chest. she loved Elijah Mikaelson, and Bella suddenly had the confidence to scream it in the middle of the village.

He kissed her again, this time her head. "I will never tire of hearing that," he said softly.

Her smile grew wider. "Good, because I will never tire of saying it."

Elijah suddenly flipped them over and kissed Bella on the lips. One of her hands trailed up his arm to wrap around his neck, while the other went to his messy sex hair.

"_Elijah!" _a voice suddenly exclaimed and the bedroom door suddenly burst open. "Will you tell Kol to- oh. _Oh. Oh God!" _

Elijah rolled off of Bella and she yanked the blanket up to cover her naked body. "Rebekah," he growled, glaring at his sister who had covered her eyes with her hands and turned completely around. "Get _out."_

Of course. Even the morning after Bella and Elijah confessed their love and had sex, a moment that was supposed to be sweet and romantic, was ruined by his family. "I'm sorry, Elijah," she said earnestly. "I did not know that you had, uh, _company." _Rebekah smirked despite her astonishment. It was Kol and Niklaus who had girls in their beds, not moral Elijah.

"It is fine, Rebekah. Now leave," he said sternly.

"Fine." Rebekah huffed and made her way to the door. Then she threw a smirk at Bella. "Good morning, Bella," she said.

Bella turned bright red. "Good morning, Rebekah."

"Rebekah…" Elijah said in a warning tone.

"I am leaving!" she shouted. "I do not want to be in the same room as my brother and the girl he deflowered anyway!"

"Rebekah!" Elijah growled as Bella buried her face into her hands in embarrassment. She was sure that half the village heard that, Rebekah had been so loud.

She glowered at him before opening the door. "Do _not _tell anyone, Rebekah," he added with a stern look.

She rolled her eyes. "Our family has better things to talk about than your sex life, Elijah," she said, holding her head up high, before leaving.

Bella sighed, her face still red. Elijah looked back down at her. "I'm sorry. Rebekah is…" he couldn't think of a good explanation for his sister.

"Rebekah," Bella finished with a small smile. "It's fine. But I hope you know that there is no way she is keeping us a secret."

"One can only hope." Elijah sighed and laid down next to Bella. He kissed her again, softly. She smiled into the kiss before pulling away.

"I should be going," she said, sitting up.

Elijah grabbed her hand. "Stay," he said. "Just for a little while longer."

She bit her lip. Her family would be wondering where she was. her father would undoubtedly yell at her, mostly for not being home to prepare breakfast, but she was sure that Halia would've covered her. besides, it was the morning after the best night of her life. She could sacrifice ten more minutes to be with Elijah.

"A little while longer," she agreed, then his lips were on hers again.

_**~TLND~**_

Half an hour later, Bella was sneaking out of the Mikaelson home, her dress wrinkled and half on, her hair a complete mess. She had just made it to the door when a voice behind her made her jump.

"So Rebekah _wasn't _lying."

She gasped before sighing. "I had no idea that Elijah had it in him," Kol continued, a giant smirk on his lips.

"Just remember, I witnessed you and Gemma having at it in the woods a few days ago- you are in no position to judge me, Kol," Bella reminded him.

"Yes, but that was me and Gemma. You and Elijah are just so moral and innocent. I would have bet everything I owned that you two would save it for marriage, if even. That is how boring and innocent and just plain clean you two are," Kol said "Hell, I would even think that you two would die virgins."

She rolled her eyes. "I can proudly say that I am no longer a virgin, Kol," she said.

He smirked at her. "Bella Erikson, innocence lost to my dear brother." Kol made a face at the thought.

Bella opened the front door. She had to leave before Mikael or Ester saw her. "I do not want the whole village to know that Elijah and I slept together, Kol," she told him.

He rolled his eyes. "Too late for that. everyone will know by lunch time."

She sighed. She could only imagine her father's reaction when he found out that his daughter lost her virginity to Mikael's eldest son. She was halfway out the door when Kol called to her, "Welcome to the family, sister." He smirked once more before shutting the door.

Bella sighed. She could only imagine what Kol meant by that.

_**~TLND~**_

Niklaus was completely nervous, telling Halia about his kiss with Adora. He knew that she had to find out at some point, but he was still afraid that he'd lose her forever. He couldn't imagine life without Halia's light, now that he had been exposed to it.

They met at the lake, which had become their meeting place. The morning sun shone bright in the sky. Halia smiled at Niklaus when she saw him, her big brown eyes staring up at him. "Hello," she greeted him.

"Hello Halia." He kissed her quickly, softly, before the guilt got the best of him and he pulled away.

"Do you happen to know where Bella is?" she asked with a frown. "She did not come home last night."

He rolled his eyes. "If Rebekah speaks the truth, most likely Elijah's bed." He didn't believe that Elijah had it in him to sleep with Bella. He was sure that his brother was going to die a virgin.

Halia's eyes widened. "They slept together?" she asked, shocked. She too was convinced that Bella would be an old maid.

"I suppose so. I'd rather not think about the details." Niklaus made a face, momentarily distracted from the task at hand.

She laughed slightly. "I am happy for Bella," she said softly. "She has loved Elijah for a long time."

That reminded Niklaus what he had to tell Halia. "I have something to tell you," he said suddenly, his voice grave. "And I need you to listen to me without interrupting."

Halia frowned but nodded in agreement. Niklaus took a deep breath. "The night of the celebration… Adora kissed me."

Halia's eyes widened and she looked like she had just been slapped. But she remained silent, waiting for Niklaus to explain further. "I did not kiss her back, Halia, I swear!" he said quickly. "I pushed her away. it meant nothing, but still, I am sorry that it happened. I would never intentionally hurt you like that."

Halia sighed, thinking hard. "I believe you," she whispered after a while. Her eyes were pained though. "I am not mad at you."

He relaxed. "Really?"

She nodded and squeezed his hand. "If the kiss had meant anything to you, you would not of told me," she said confidently.

Niklaus sighed with relief. That had gone better than he had hoped. "Do you truly care about me, Niklaus?" she asked suddenly.

His eyebrows furrowed as he considered the questioned. He didn't just care about Halia, he realized. She meant even more to him.

"I love you, Halia."

As he said it, he realized that it was true. Halia's eyes widened in surprise, before lighting up. "Really?" she breathed.

He nodded, his eyebrows still furrowed slightly. "I really do."

"I-I love you too." Halia was suddenly grinning, realizing the truth at that moment too. She loved Niklaus Mikaelson.

He kissed her, his hands cradling her head. She rested her hands on his chest, kissing him back as hard as she could. After a few minutes, the couple ended up on the ground, Halia somehow on top. She had a feeling where their kissing was leading, and she had something to do before that happened.

"Wait," she mumbled against his lips. "I cannot. Not now, at least."

Niklaus sighed slightly, but didn't argue. He wasn't going to push the woman he loved to sleep with her. "Alright," he said, sitting up.

"Soon," Halia promised Niklaus, before kissing him lightly on the lips. Then she stood up and brushed off her dress.

She had to go deal with her sister.

_**~TLND ~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: purpleXorchid, TVDobsession106, PAT BENNETT, Belinda, and HoneyGee08 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	20. the rivalry

**Chapter twenty**

_The rivalry_

Halia stalked through the village, in search of only one person. Her bliss over Niklaus' confession and her own was tainted by her rage at Adora, her eldest sister, the one she idolized. Adora, the sister who had her eyes set on the man Halia was in love with.

Halia found her talking with Gemma in the village, completely oblivious to Halia's anger. Gemma smiled at Halia when she saw her, but the smile quickly left when she noticed the glare directed at Adora. Adora turned around to face Halia, and a smug smirk formed on her lips when she saw her baby sister.

"Good morning, Halia," she greeted in a patronizing tone.

Without saying a single word, Halia raised her hand and slapped Adora across the face, wiping her smirk off.

"Stay _away _from Niklaus," she hissed, her big brown eyes cold.

Gemma was frozen in shock, for she had no idea that Adora had kissed Niklaus. Adora glared back at Halia, though. She ignored the stinging of her cheek and pushed Halia, hard.

"Hit me again Halia, I dare you," she growled threateningly.

"Kiss Niklaus again Adora, I dare you," she mocked, putting s hand on her hip.

"What is this about?" Gemma butted in, confused.

"Adora kissed Niklaus the night of the celebration," Halia said bluntly. "He told me."

"Did he tell you how much he liked it?" Adora taunted, her smirk returning. Halia narrowed her eyes, and pushed Adora, causing her to fall on her arse.

"Shut _up!" _she screamed.

"Don't be in denial, Halia. He may find you sweet and adorable, but Niklaus wants a woman, not a girl," Adora said, standing up.

"Really? He does? If he wants you then, Adora, why did he tell me that he loves me?" Halia asked, her eyes widened mockingly. Adora froze in shock.

"He did?" she breathed, as if the wind had just been knocked out of her.

"Yes, dear sister, he did. This morning," Halia said smugly.

Adora quickly gathered herself, and rolled her eyes at Halia. "It does not matter, little sister. If I want him, I will have him. not even if you were married and pregnant with his children, would that stop me," she said indifferently.

"That's enough you two!" Gemma said, stepping in between her sisters. She was forced to play referee since Bella was missing in action.

Halia and Adora ignored her. "You are so delusional, Adora!" Halia shouted. "He does not want you! Get that through your head!"

"He does, Halia! You are the one too obsessed with him to see the truth!" Adora countered, her blue eyes cold as ice.

Halia laughed humorlessly in her face. "Oh, the irony of what you just said," she muttered.

Adora rolled her eyes. "We both know that if it came down between the two of us, it would be no hard choice. You are _nothing _compared to me. So run along, you _child, _and let Niklaus be with the one he actually wants."

"_He loves me!" _Halia growled, stalking closer to Adora, Gemma being the only barrier between the two of them.

"Oh, really? How many times, do you think, he has said that to a girl to get her into his bed?" Adora asked sarcastically.

Halia turned red with rage. "He loves me, Adora!" she insisted.

"No, he does not. He may tell you that, Halia, but as soon as he is finished with you, he will kick you out of his bed and come looking for me," Adora said, smirking again.

Halia went to punch Adora, but Gemma held her back. "Stop it! You two are sisters!" she exclaimed, wishing that Bella was there. She was the best at diffusing fights.

Adora hit Gemma in the nose, causing her to bleed. She gasped in pain and fell to the floor, leaving nothing separating Halia and Adora. They tackled each other to the ground, calling each other cruel things and clawing at each other.

Gemma wiped blood dripping from her nose and stood up. She had to get back up to stop the fight going on between her sisters. She walked away, in search of her brothers.

Halia had a tight grip on Adora's hair as Adora dug her nails into her face. Suddenly, Joseph yanked Halia away from their sister, as Adrian pulled Adora away. they tried to kick their brothers away, but it was no use. Halia took some blonde hair with her, though. And Adora took away some skin.

"Keep your slutty claws away from him, Adora!" Halia called as Joseph dragged her away.

"I'm never getting involved in fights again," Gemma muttered as she followed Joseph and Halia away, flinching as she gingerly touched her nose. It was definitely broken.

Halia glowered at the ground, she was tossed over Joseph's shoulder. Nobody said anything, but they were all thinking the same thing.

Adora and Halia's relationship was broken. For good.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella hummed cheerfully to herself as she did the laundry. She was completely oblivious to her sisters' fighting, and not even her father's scolding had killed her mood. After she finished the laundry and prepared dinner, she planned to go back to Elijah's. She definitely wanted more sex from him, and to hear him tell her he loved her again.

It seemed to take days rather than hours for Bella to finish her chores. But eventually, she was finished and ready to go to Elijah's. she hadn't ran into any of her siblings, which was a good thing. They would only waste more of her time with questions that would embarrass her to answer.

It was slowly turning dark as Bella made her way through the woods to the Mikaelson home. Elijah was waiting for her outside of his house, and his eyes lit up when he saw her. silently, he grabbed her hand and led her into his house.

They didn't kiss until they were for surely alone in his room. then his lips met Bella's in an urgent, slightly desperate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her. Elijah hugged her to him, his hands running down her curves before he slowly pulled off her dress.

Clothes went flying off, some literally, due to Bella's telekinesis. After a round of sex, Bella found herself naked in Elijah's bed again, her head resting on his chest.

"Do you ever think of our future?" she asked suddenly, tracing the lines of his hands with her finger.

"Yes," Elijah answered after a while. It was true, and Bella smiled slightly. It was good to know that she wasn't the only one. "Do you?"

"Yes, I have. Numerous times," she said, keeping her gaze focused on Elijah's hand.

"What do you think of?" he asked curiously, and Bella blushed lightly.

"I shouldn't of brought it up," she muttered.

"No, it's fine, Bella. I want to know," Elijah said, smiling slightly.

She didn't answer and he sighed. "Fine, I will make you a deal. I will tell you what I think for our future if you tell me," he said.

Bella nodded apprehensively in agreement. She was curious as to what Elijah thought of their future, what he had planned for them.

"We are married, of course," he started, brushing Bella's hair out of her face.

"Of course," she echoed, reminded of Kol's words to her that morning. _Welcome to the family, sister._

"And we have children," he continued. "We live in a house in the woods, outside of the village. We live far enough away so that we won't be constantly bothered by our families, but not so far away that we can't see them every day."

"How many children do we have?" Bella asked softly, liking the future he had planned out for them.

"Four," Elijah said.

"Five," Bella corrected with a small smile.

Elijah rolled his eyes at her, but he was smiling. "That's what I meant, love."

"How many boys and how many girls?" she asked, closing her eyes.

"Why don't you just tell me?"

She laughed slightly. "Three boys and two girls. They all look like you, but one little girl as my eyes and her name is Abigail," she said.

"I don't agree with all the children looking like me. There has to be more that look like you," Elijah argued.

She smiled slightly. "How about we leave their looks up to nature?" she asked with a small smile

"Sounds fine with me," Elijah said, hugging her tightly. "We can argue about names instead."

She laughed again. "The only name I insist on is Abigail, after my mother," she said.

Elijah kissed her head. "I'm okay with that."

Bella shut her eyes tighter. She could almost see their house, their five children. A little boy with black hair and oak brown eyes. two little girls, both with brown hair, fighting over a little doll made out of cloth. The youngest one had bright green eyes, and the oldest one had the eyes of her father.

Bella didn't know whether it was a dream or vision. It was probably a little bit of both. But the images in her mind were so perfect, that she didn't care what they were. She just wanted them to be real.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: Sam0728, Samantha meyers, thetrueoriginal, purpleXorchid, TVDobsession106, and Belinda for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	21. the proposal

**Chapter twenty one**

_The proposal_

Two weeks had passed since Adora and Halia's huge fight. The two hadn't talked since, causing awkward dinner conversations. Erik had no idea what was going on, for he was more focused on the rumors of one of his daughters losing her virginity to the eldest son of Mikael. He hadn't talked to Bella about the rumors, but he watched her more closely than usual. He'd be damned if he and Mikael would ever share the same grandchild.

Because of Halia and Adora's fighting, the other siblings were forced to choose sides. Adrian remained loyal to Adora in public, though he made it clear to Halia in private that he was not against her. Gemma remained loyal to Halia and made it clear to Adora in both public and private that she thought she was a delusional little bitch.

Garrett chose Halia over Adora, because of their closeness over being the youngest. Joseph and Bella tried their hardest to remain impartial, but it wasn't working. Adora believed that if they weren't with her, they were against her, and gave them the same cold shoulder she did ever sibling except Adrian. She and Adrian spent all their time in the caves, leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. They didn't even bother to return for meals every now and then.

Halia and spent a lot of time with Niklaus since they confessed their love to one another. But they had yet to make love. She had always stopped them before they got that far. He didn't push Halia, didn't force her to have sex with him. he just always sighed slightly, hoping that she did not hear. He couldn't help it- She made him want her, want her so badly. He trusted her not to be a tease, though.

Somehow, the two had ended up in his bedroom one day. Halia did not know how he had managed to lure her to his bed, but she was so lost in his kissing that when she finally became aware of her surroundings, Niklaus was on top of her, and her dress was half off.

"Niklaus," she muttered, pulling away. "Stop."

Like the times before, Niklaus sighed softly and pulled away. unlike the times before Halia finally heard the sigh. She frowned slightly, her eyebrows furrowing. "I am sorry," she muttered, looking away from him in shame. "I do not mean to lead you on, I swear."

He instantly softened and pulled her into his arms, her back against his chest. "I know love," he soothed her as he pulled up her dress for her. "I am not blaming you for anything."

"It's just-" she cut herself off, biting her lip nervously.

"Just what?" he prompted, curious.

Halia sighed. What Adora had said to her during their fight still bothered her, for she feared it to come true. _as soon as he is finished with you, he will kick you out of his bed and come looking for me._

she was worried that once she gave herself to him, he would just kick her aside like trash, like she was nothing. She was afraid that he wouldn't love her anymore, if they had sex. What Halia didn't realize was that if Niklaus did that to her, he would've never loved her in the first place.

"I am worried that if we make love, you will kick me aside like you have to other girls, before," she mumbled, her gaze anywhere but on Niklaus.

He honestly looked shocked at that. Yes, he was guilty of doing that to other girls in the past. But Halia was not like the others. He loved her with all of his heart.

"I would _never _do that to you, Halia," he assured her, gently pushing her dark hair out of her face. Then he kissed her neck before pulling away. "I love you, and I will wait until you are ready. I promise."

He pulled away from her, and Halia relaxed at his words. Adora was wrong, of course. She was just trying to tear them apart. Halia would not let that happen.

"What if I am ready now?" Halia asked suddenly, turning around to face Niklaus. She raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk slowly forming on her lips. Halia was making an attempt at being sexy and seductive, but that wasn't her. Halia was cute and adorable. She wasn't sexy and seductive. Niklaus didn't mind, though.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, though he wanted her more at that moment than he ever had.

She nodded and brought her lips to his. "I am sure, Niklaus," she whispered, her lips just grazing his. Then their lips met, and any control Niklaus had over his desire for Halia was lost. He gently pushed her down onto the bed, him being on top of her.

As he slowly removed her dress, giving her plenty of time to change her mind, their eyes met again. Halia smiled gently at him, her eyes full of love and desire. They both knew Halia wasn't going to change her mind. She wanted this as much as Niklaus did.

That was day those two finally made love for the first time.

_**~TLND~**_

"Kol! Stop it!"

Gemma laughed and tried to push Kol away as he wrapped his arms around her. Gemma had gone to the lake to find peace, and then Kol found her, demanding "entertainment" and bothering her when all Gemma wanted was peace and quiet. Secretly, she didn't mind Kol bringing his chaotic loudness to her sanctuary of peace. It made the place a lot more fun and exciting.

"Hmm? What was that? you'll have to speak up Missus Mikaelson." Kol smirked as he tickled Gemma, causing her to burst into another fit of laughter.

Kol had been calling her "Future Missus Kol Mikaelson" for the past hour, just to see her reaction. Gemma rolled her eyes at the nickname, though her heart always skipped a beat when he called her that.

"Shut _up, _Kol," she choked out between laughs. "Call me that again, I dare you."

Kol smirked. "Missus Kol Mikaelson, I like the sound of that. Missus Gemma Mikaelson, mother to our dozen children. And we will have very pretty children, Missus Mikaelson. Especially since I will be the father." Gemma squealed as he squeezed her arse. "But you having that arse doesn't hurt either."

She rolled her eyes again. "First of all, I am not having a dozen children," she said, pushing him away. "And I will not be known as 'Missus Mikaelson.' It makes me sound like an old woman."

"Oh, I think you'll change your mind about our dozen children, Future Missus Kol Mikaelson. Granted, we won't set out to have that many, it'll just sort of happen." He smirked at her, his arms wrapping around her waist again.

Gemma laughed as Kol spun her around in the air. "Put me down, Kol!" she demanded, a huge grin on her face.

"Say please, Missus Kol Mikaelson," he said, smirking.

"No way in hell," she growled, despite starting to become very dizzy.

"Fine then, I'll guess we'll be spinning all day," Kol said casually, picking of speed.

"Fine! _Fine! Please _put me down Kol," she asked in a falsely sweet tone.

"As you wish, Missus Mikaelson." He put her down on the ground, and as soon as the world stopped spinning, Gemma placed her hands on Kol's chest and pushed him, hard, into the lake behind him. At the last second, his arm snaked around Gemma's waist, pulling her in with him.

Gemma gasped as the cold water came in contact with her skin, soaking her to the bone. "Ugh! I hate you!" she exclaimed, hitting Kol's chest.

"Well that's too bad, since I love you."

At first, Gemma thought Kol was just joking around, like with calling her Future Missus Kol Mikaelson. She thought he didn't actually mean it. But the look in Kol's brown eyes was so uncharacteristically serious that Gemma knew he did mean it.

"Don't say that if you don't mean it," she breathed, completely forgetting that they were in the lake, soaking wet.

"I love you," Kol repeated simply, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

Kol Mikaelson loved Gemma Erikson. And at that moment, she realized she loved him too.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella was looking for Elijah around the village, her eyebrows furrowed as she did. He had been acting strange the past few days, always lost in thought. He had brought up their future more often lately too, confusing Bella. She just wanted to know what was running through Elijah's mind.

As she continued her search for him, she suddenly spotted him talking with her father in the middle of the village. This caught Bella off guard- she'd never expected Erik to want anything to do with Elijah, because of Mikael. Adrian was with them, though. He spoke to their father with quick words, Elijah looking slightly desperate beside him. Erik stared stoically at his son, looking as if he didn't plan to change his mind anytime soon.

Then Adrian said something that made Erik reconsider his decision. He sighed and nodded, and relief broke over Elijah's face. Adrian smiled and clasped Elijah on the shoulder before leaving. Bella frowned, confused by the whole exchange.

"Elijah!" she called to him, running catch up with him. Elijah took a deep breath as if to calm himself when he saw her.

"Hello, Bella." He offered her a smile as they walked.

"Why were you talking to my father?" she asked bluntly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Again, a nervous look passed through his brown eyes. he took another deep breath. "I had to ask him something," he replied.

"What?" she prompted, and Elijah smiled at her pushiness.

"I-I asked Erik if I could marry you, Bella."

Time stopped. Bella stopped breathing. Elijah watched her carefully, her green eyes wide with shock. She hadn't been expecting that, despite how often they had been talking about marriage. Bella hadn't expected Elijah to ask her father for her hand.

"And what did he say?" Bella asked breathlessly, her heart pounding in her chest.

"No. He said no." Any hope, any joy Bella felt at that moment was washed away at that one word. Bella suddenly hated that word. _No. _It crushed hopes, that word. It crushed dreams of beautiful children who looked like their father but had their mother's eyes. "At first."

Bella was so caught up in her hatred over "No," she missed the last part. "What?" she asked, not allowing her hopes to get raised.

"Erik said no at first, Bella." For the first time, she noticed that Elijah was smiling. "But then Adrian got into the conversation, and he tried to convince your father to let me marry you. At first, it seemed like he wasn't going to change his mind. But then Adrian brought up how my father was going to hate it if we got married- which he would. And then Erik agreed to let me marry you with your permission."

Elijah studied Bella carefully, his nerves coming back. Bella still seemed in shock, her bright green eyes were still wide. "So," he said, stopping their walking and stepping in front of her. "Will you marry me, Bella?"

Again, Bella saw their life. She saw a house in the middle of the woods. She saw little boys with black hair and green eyes play fighting. She saw little girls with brown hair and brown eyes braiding each other's hair. She saw their life, their children. And Bella wanted that more than she had ever wanted anything.

Then Bella uttered the single most amazing word to ever exist, according to Elijah. Her eyes lit up, her smile grew wide, and she placed a hand on his cheek before answering.

"Yes."

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **Remember this chapter when shit hits the fan later. Remember all this fluffy goodness to get you through.

Thank you to: kate, purpleXorchid, Samantha meyers, thetrueoriginal, Belinda, and TVDobsession106 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	22. the spell

**Chapter twenty two**

_The spell_

The news about Bella and Elijah's engagement spread like wildfire. Erik, who had had misgivings about agreeing to let Elijah marry his daughter, thought it was worth sharing future grandchildren with Mikael, to see Bella so happy. Erik wasn't a bad man. He genuinely wanted his children to be happy. But sometimes his temper and pride got in the way.

The only three people who weren't happy about the soon-to-be marriage were Mikael, Ester, and Adora. Mikael wasn't happy, for he'd rather eat his own hand than have his eldest son marry an Erikson daughter. Little did he know, there was a possibility for two more marriages between Mikaelson sons and Erikson daughters in the near future.

Ester was not happy, for she'd rather die than have her eldest son marry a fairy. To imagine that her own blood would be mixed with fairy blood repulsed her. Her future grandchildren would be fairies. Not only that, but she was concerned for Elijah's personal safety. For all she knew, the darkness might get to Bella one day, and she could kill him. Ester had to make sure that that couldn't happen. She had to protect her family.

Adora wasn't happy for her little sister because Adora was bitter about everything. Elijah was Niklaus' eldest brother, therefore Adora hated him for his connection to Niklaus. Adora had come to loathe Niklaus over the past few weeks. The way she saw it, if she couldn't be with the man she loved, why did anybody else? Bella had some nerve, getting married.

Bella had never been happier.

That was not an exaggeration. The week following Elijah's proposal, Bella was blissful. She didn't care that Ester wasn't going to be too happy about their engagement, and likely to retaliate. Bella was completely focused on herself and Elijah, for a change.

Her siblings- minus Adora- were absolutely happy for her. They knew how much Bella loved Elijah, how good he was to her, and how happy they made each other. After everything they did for their families, they deserved each other.

"Adrian, wait!" After breakfast was finished one morning after the full moon, everyone went off to do their own things. But before Adrian could leave, Bella stopped him. She had yet to tell him thank you for convincing their father to let her marry Elijah.

"Yes, sister?" Adrian offered her a small smile. He loved seeing her so happy. Bella's green eyes were bright and there was a semi-permanent smile on her lips.

"Just- thank you, Adrian, really," she said earnestly. "For talking father into letting me marry Elijah. If you hadn't, we wouldn't be engaged right now."

His smile increased. "It was no trouble, Bella. I would be damned if I let something as silly as father's rivalry with Mikael get in the way of your happiness. What kind of big brother would I be then?"

She hugged him quickly. "Thank you," she murmured again.

He kissed her forehead before pulling away. "I wish you both happiness, Bella," he murmured before walking out of the house. Bella smiled again before making her way to a room she hadn't been in in weeks.

Abigail remained the same. She was the only thing that never changed. Bella pulled a chair to her bedside and looked down at her mother before she started to catch her up on everything she had missed. "Elijah told me he loved me, mother," she blurted out. "And I returned his love. Then we… did something I cannot tell my mother. And now- we're engaged! We're going to be married!"

Bella laughed slightly, grinning so wide her cheeks hurt. She shook her head slightly. "You would approve of us, mother. I know you would. I love him, so, so much. We are going to have five children and name one of them after you. We are going to live happily ever after," she said cheerfully. She was so, so close to the future she had only ever dreamed about. She could practically reach out and touch it with her fingers.

"Gemma and Kol are together, too," She told her after coming out of another daydream. "They are in love. I bet that Kol will be asking father for Gemma's hand soon. Or they will just run off together. Anything is possible with those two."

Bella watched her mother carefully, her green eyes open and unblinking. "I wish you were not ill, mother," she whispered. "I wish we could gush over the details of my wedding together, like a mother and daughter should."

She sighed and closed her eyes. Her future children would never know their grandmother, not in the way they should. They would never know how kind she was, how much of a good mother she was. They would only know this woman who hadn't spoken in years, who was a vegetable.

"Halia and Adora are not talking," Bella started to say after a while. "It is because of Niklaus. They are both in love with him, but Niklaus only has eyes for Halia. All Adora does anymore is spend all day in the caves doing God knows what-"

Suddenly, Abigail grabbed Bella's hand. Her heart stopped, and she stared at her mother. Her mother, who hadn't moved an inch in years. Her mother, who had her arm in a tight grip, staring at her with wide, alert, desperate eyes.

Bella didn't say anything, she was in shock. Abigail mouthed silent words, unable to speak. She mouthed them frantically. Bella managed to read her lips as she spoke silently. _Adora, Adora, Adora, _She mouthed over and over. By the way she acted, whatever she had to say about the blonde, it was not good.

Abigail seemed to lose her energy as fast as she had gained it. She fell against her pillow and her grip on Bella's arm slackened. She returned to her earlier state like she had never left it.

Bella slowly stood up and backed away from her mother, eyes still wide. The one question that was on her mind refused to leave.

What had Abigail wanted to tell her about Adora?

_**~TLND~**_

"Elijah!"

The first person Bella looked for after her startling incident with her mother was her husband-to-be. She found him in the village, and his face lit up when he saw her. He stopped what he had been doing and opened his arms wide.

Despite completely shaken by what Abigail had done, Bella beamed back and jumped into his arms. Ever since his proposal, they had been more affectionate than usual. Bella wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He had lifted her off of the ground, and after a few moments of hugging, he put her back on her own two feet.

"What did you want, love?" he asked her, his eyes soft as he looked down at her.

Bella instantly fell out of the euphoric mood being with Elijah had put her in. "It's- it's my mother, Elijah," She murmured, frowning as she thought about what had happened.

He instantly frowned too. "Is she alright?" he asked.

Bella nodded. "I-I think so," she murmured, then went on to explain what had happened.

Elijah was silent after she explained what had happened. His brown eyes were wide. "What does this mean?" she asked as they started to walk.

"I- I don't know, Bella," he murmured, still trying to process what she had told him.

She closed her eyes. It meant that Adora was up to something no good in that cave, and Abigail knew what. She was trying to tell Bella, but she couldn't. Her illness had rendered her mute. Bella opened her eyes again when she felt a hand craze her cheek.

"This is the week following our engagement," she said. "It is supposed to be happy, stress-free, and romantic. Yet it is turning out to be everything but."

Elijah smiled and kissed her forehead. "We could always run away, you know. Far, far away where everything would be stress-free," he said.

Bella wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. "Do not tempt me."

He chuckled and Bella closed her eyes. Whenever she was with him, life seemed less complicated and dramatic and scary. And that was one of the reasons Bella loved him, because he kept her from exploding from all the stress forced on her.

Bella was so lucky to be marrying Elijah.

_**~TLND~**_

Ester watched her eldest son embrace Bella. They were to be married, Bella and Elijah. The thought still disgusted her. She had to find a way to keep Elijah safe from his future wife's darkness.

Ester sought out Ayana, and together they devised a way to keep all of her children safe from the fairies. They would bind their powers, and all of the future fairies' powers.

As Ayana and Ester joined hands over a bowl full of burning herbs, they muttered old words together. The spell itself was complicated, as what it would cause. The spell would bind the fairies' powers to their individual bloodline. In order for another fairy to be born, they must be the same gender as the original fairy of their bloodline. Then they would also look exactly like said original fairy, and have their same powers. That way, it would be easier to track the fairies down and kill them. Any other person from a fairy bloodline not born the same gender as the original would just be a carrier of the fairy gene.

Suddenly the fire in the bowl that was burning the herbs went out. Ayana and Ester looked at each other. The spell had worked. The fairies' powers were bound and the Mikaelson children were safe from them.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella and Elijah were walking towards his house, holding hands. They were talking about the wedding and their marriage, anything to distract Bella from her earlier encounter with her mother. Suddenly, Bella gasped, a strange feeling taking her over.

She felt as if she was losing strength, energy, and power. It was the strangest thing, and she leaned against Elijah for support. He held her up, concerned for her. "Bella? What's wrong?"

She shook her head, though the feeling of lost power didn't leave her. "I do not know-"

A scream of agony cut her off. A scream that came from Elijah's house. They both exchanged looks before they began to run towards it. Both of them were wondering what had happened, what was wrong. Their questions were answered when they approached the scene in front of the house.

Bella gasped and covered her mouth in horror. Her eyes stung with silent tears. She was frozen in her place, as Elijah went to his mother's side. His sobbing mother, covering her youngest son's body with her own, as if to protect him from something that had already happened.

Rebekah was comforting a guilt stricken Niklaus, who was staring at the young, still body with wet eyes. Bella's gaze was glued to it, unable to process what had so obviously happened.

Henrik was dead.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: thetrueoriginal, CharmedGirl92, Katerina The Von, TVDobsession106, Belinda, and Sam0728 for reviewing!

Review :D

~Abby!


	23. the vampires

**Chapter twenty three**

_The vampires_

The loss of a life so young hit the village hard, especially the Erikson family. Gemma helped Kol mourn the loss of his youngest brother by distracting him with great sex. Then she squeezed his hand while he shook with silent tears and pretended that it didn't happen the next day.

Halia helped Niklaus mourn by assuring him that it wasn't his fault that Henrik died, but the werewolves. And when that didn't work, she held him a murmured comforting nonsense in his ear.

Bella helped Elijah mourn by distracting him during the day. Anything that qualified as distracting, Bella used. She kept him busy doing anything she could think about. Then, at night, she cried into his chest and he cried into her hair.

One morning, the Erikson children- minus Adora, who wasn't even moved by young Henrik's death- were gathered silently in the kitchen. There was silence before Bella spoke. They had things to talk about, but Henrik's death hadn't allowed them to gather together.

"Did everyone feel that loss of power, the minute before Henrik died?" Bella asked, sitting down at the kitchen table next to Halia.

Gemma nodded. "Yes, I felt like I lost strength. Even now, I still don't have that power back," she said.

"What happened, then?" Garrett asked.

"It must've been some sort of spell," Bella said. "A spell that bound our powers. Ester and Ayana must have done something."

"Speaking of Ester," Joseph said, moving behind Bella and holding onto the back of her chair. "Am I the only one worried about how she will react to her youngest son's death?"

Halia shook her head. "I heard her asking Ayana for a way to bring him back, but she said that the spirits wouldn't offer one and that he was gone for good," she said quietly. Ever since Henrik's death, Halia had been less bubbly and outgoing. She felt guilty, over not being able to heal him. she had tried, but he had already been dead. Halia couldn't bring the dead back to life. That was a crime of nature, and despite what witches thought, fairies were protectors of nature. They tried to keep the balance. And what was dead was supposed to stay dead.

"When I was going to see Kol," Gemma said suddenly. "I heard her and Mikael talking. He told her that she had to protect their family from the wolves."

"How do they plan to do that?" Bella asked, wary.

Gemma shrugged. "I didn't hear that part."

There was a collective sigh among the group. They were all in agreement, though. Ester was going to do something. And they had to prepare themselves for whatever she did.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella found Elijah in the village. The first thing she did when she saw him was hug him tightly. He smiled slightly and kissed the top of her head before she pulled away.

"I love you," he said affectionately, before cupping her face before kissing her.

Bella kissed him back softly, before pulling away. "I love you too," she said with a slight smile.

"I wish to show you something," Elijah said suddenly, causing Bella's eyebrows to furrow.

"What is it?" she asked as he took her hand.

"You shall see when we get there."

Bella pursed her lips but allowed Elijah to lead her into the woods. They walked for ten minutes straight before he covered her eyes with his hands.

"Is this necessary?" she asked grumpily, and he chuckled slightly.

"Yes, it is. This is supposed to be a surprise for you, Bella," he told her.

"For me? why?" she asked, losing the annoyance in her voice.

"For us, really. For the future," he said, but it was mostly for Bella. She had been there for him, the days following his brother's death. He wanted to do something nice for her. She deserved it.

"Can I see now?" she asked, excited for her surprise.

Elijah removed his hands, and Bella took in the scene in front of her. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. There, in front of her, was a half-finished house. Her house.

"I still have to finish it, obviously," Elijah said quickly. "Finn has been helping me, since we could both use the distraction. Even Kol has managed to help for about ten minutes or so, before getting bored. Niklaus tries, but he still too guilt-stricken to do much-"

Bella cut off his rambling with a kiss. "I love it," she said, holding his face in her hands. "Really. It's perfect."

He smiled down at her. "I'm glad, Bella. This is where we will live, you and I."

Bella smiled, the grief and sadness of Henrik's death unable to reach them at the site of their future home. The home where they would make babies and then raise them. The home where their happy ending would take place.

The two embraced again, Bella hugging Elijah tightly. She had needed that sweet moment, as did he. It was what helped them get through the events to come.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella fell asleep in her own bed, dreaming about her ever approaching future with Elijah. Even with the grief of Henrik's death and the looming threat of whatever Ester planned to do in her sadness, Bella still thought about her happy ending with Elijah, the one she _had _to have. She had already been promised it in so many ways, having the thought tease her through marriage

proposals and half-finished houses. Were the fates really cruel enough to yank it away now?

Bella gasped suddenly, sitting up in her bed. Something had happened, something bad. She had felt it, even in her sleep. The balance of nature had shifted, something new had been created, putting it off balance.

An ominous feeling overcame Bella as she moved over to Halia, in the next bed over. But her youngest sister was already awake, and she stared up at Bella with wide eyes. "Did- did you feel that?" she whispered.

Bella nodded slowly. "The balance, it-"

"-Was shifted. Something had happened to unbalance nature."

Halia and Bella looked up to see Gemma, her eyes wide. "You felt it too?" Bella asked.

She nodded. "What could have possibly happened?"

"I think we all know."

The three girls looked behind Gemma to see Adrian approach, looking wide awake. Joseph and Garrett were behind him. "Ester did something," he explained. "Who else would have the power to do that, but a witch? And Ester is a very powerful witch."

"What did she do, though?" Halia asked.

"Why has Ester ever done anything?" Bella countered, eyes widening as she realized why Ester had offset nature. "To protect her children. Ester will always protect her children."

_What _she had done, though. That was the question.

_**~TLND~**_

The first thing Bella did that morning after getting dressed was walk to the Mikaelson house. Not to confront Ester, but to make sure that her future husband was alright. She feared the worst had happened.

Bella knocked hesitantly on the front door, a sense of foreboding in the air. Something bad had happened there, Bella could tell. It seemed to take hours, but eventually Ester answered the door.

She stared at her future daughter-in-law with cold eyes. "What do you want?" she snapped, though there was a nervous air surrounding her.

"I wish to see Elijah," she said, rolling her shoulders back and raising her head high. She tried her best to seem confident and authoritative. Ester and Bella were both strong, both equal matches for each other. It would only be luck that would determine the winner if the two were to try and kill each other.

"He is not here, I am afraid," she replied coolly. "I think that he is down in the woods, working on that silly house. Again."

Bella ignored the sting she felt when Ester called her house where she'd raise her children silly. She knew, deep in her gut, that the witch was lying. But she didn't let her know that.

"Fine, I shall go see him," she said, staring fearlessly at the older woman.

"You do that," she said, her lip curling in disgust, before she shut the door.

Bella didn't go to her future house, though. She walked around the back of the Mikaelson home, where she knew a back door to be. She made sure that nobody was around before she pushed it open and walked in.

An eerie silence filled the air as Bella walked towards Elijah's room with quiet steps. She tried her best to remain quiet, as to not alert Mikael or Ester of her presence.

Bella pushed the door to Elijah's room open as quietly as possible. At first, she thought that it was empty, then she noticed the still figure of her future husband on his bed.

At first, Bella thought him to be dead. But he was breathing, just barely. Bella approached him, and his brown eyes snapped up to meet her green ones.

"Bella," he breathed, relief flooding his features. He seemed relieved, to see her. To see a face that reminded him nothing of peace and happiness.

That was when Bella saw the blood. It was all over him. on his face, his clothes. The blood stains were worst on his chest, suggesting that someone had stabbed him in the heart. But how could that be? Elijah was alive.

He stiffened suddenly, as he breathed in Bella's scent. It was so mouthwatering, so delicious. It was Elijah's love for her and that he was afraid of himself that kept him from drinking her sweet blood right from her neck.

"What happened, Elijah?" she asked, eyes still wide. She was unaware of what he was going through, how badly he wanted to drink her blood at the moment.

Elijah shook his head to clear it. "I do not know. My father… he… he drove his sword through my heart, Bella. Then… I came back…. I do not know how… Blood. I drank the blood of… of… an innocent.. I killed her."

That was when Elijah lost what little self-control he had. Bella barely had time to scream before he bit roughly into her neck, sucking that sweet blood. It was so good, better than the blood he had drank to complete his change.

Bella felt woozy from the blood already lost. She barely had enough strength to wave her hand at Elijah. He went flying into the wall, and she took off running.

Elijah didn't chase after her, but Bella still ran as fast as she could to her house. Blood was still dripping down her neck and to her dress. Her eyes were wide as she tried to process what had happened.

Ester had turned her children into vampires.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **thank you to: Sam0728, TVDobsession106, Katerina The Von, Belinda, thetrueoriginal, and Samantha meyers for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	24. the hybrid

**Chapter twenty four**

_The hybrid_

The Mikaelson children were vampires.

The first thing Bella did after running home was tell her siblings everything that happened. Gemma and Halia were the most affected, besides Bella. Gemma remained stoic and silent as her brothers talked about what to do, even killing them was a possibility. She squeezed Bella's hand for support, though. Bella hung onto her hand like it was a lifeline.

Halia was a different matter. She didn't understand at first why they were a danger. Because she was Halia and could see the beauty in even the ugliest things. Plus, she didn't want the idea to be true, that life as she knew it was gone forever.

One thing was for sure, though. The Eriksons had to stay away from the Mikaelsons. No matter how much Bella wanted to go back to Elijah and help him through whatever he was going through, how much Gemma wanted to slap Kol because it was so easy, blaming everything on him, and how much Halia just wanted Niklaus at that moment, they couldn't be with them. They had to stay away.

Bella didn't sleep that night. The fates were cruel, very cruel. They dangled her ideal future in front of her and then yanked it away when she got so close. Who knew what was meant for her and Elijah, now that he was some abomination of nature, created by his own mother?

There was an ominous feel in the village the next morning, as Bella walked into it. She had the feeling that the villagers knew something wasn't right with the Mikaelsons. There was talk about missing people, and Bella heard Tatia's name among the list. She had been missing for days. Bella couldn't bring herself to care about her old friend, though.

She found who she was looking for fairly quickly. Ester didn't even seem surprised to see her when she approached the witch. Bella stared unforgivingly up at her, her lips pressed into a firm line.

"What did you do, Ester?"

Her voice wasn't above a whisper. She was shaking in anger. She couldn't imagine what had driven Ester to place a spell on her children to make them blood thirsty, to make them vampires. She had some nerve, calling fairies evil since their powers had first manifested, and then turning around and doing this to her children.

"I was protecting my family, Bella," she said calmly.

"Protection? Whatever you did, it is not protection, Ester. It is a curse!" Bella exclaimed, her eyes full of silent anger. She could still picture Elijah's blood covered face. He had been so _afraid._

"They will never die, Bella. I will never have to lose my children again," Ester said, and Bella suddenly realized why she had done what she had done. The vampire curse was a desperate act of a grieving mother. She loved her children so much, she made them immortal so that she would never have to lose them.

"You do not know what the consequences will be, Ester. Nature will turn on you," Bella told the witch.

Ester scoffed. "I will not have a fairy lecture me on nature. You and your family were created out of the excess evil nature had to offer, after all."

Bella gritted her teeth. "They will not be able to control their thirst for blood, Ester. I know that none of them would ever wish for it to happen, but they will all kill. How will you feel, with your children taking lives of the innocent?"

Ester gritted her teeth before answering. "They will be alive, that is all I care about," she replied coolly.

"But they are not alive, Ester!" Bella exclaimed. "They are dead- undead."

"The specifics do not matter."

Bella growled. "You have lost your mind, if you think that anything good will come out of what you have done to your children," she said in a low voice.

Ester narrowed her eyes at Bella. "At least my sons will be safe from you and your sisters. Sirens, the lot of you. You all seduced them. If I did one good thing, it was save them from the likes of you."

Bella's green eyes widened slightly. "You did this to keep Elijah and me apart," she whispered. "You would rather kill your children than have them be happy with fairies."

"It is no coincidence that they find your blood so appetizing," Ester admitted, staring down at Bella without flinching.

"You are unbelievable," She said. "You witches, you all think fairies are the problem. Maybe it is you that are dark creatures, not us."

Bella turned around and stalked away from Ester then. The witch had questionable morals. Bella knew that she was going to regret what she had done, one day she would. But it was too late. Now her only choice was to live with her regret.

Bella found herself at her half-finished house. It pained her, to look at it. She knew that she and Elijah would never live there, would never make babies and then raise them. They would never have the happy ending she had so desperately wanted.

Before she knew what was happening, Bella was crying. She was curled up at the base of a tree, sobbing into her dress. She had no idea why she was crying, but she felt heartbroken, sad, depressed. She felt like nothing was right in the world.

Suddenly, Bella vomited into a nearby bush, puking out what little breakfast she had consumed. What had happened to her? why was she crying and vomiting? Was she sick?

"Bella."

Bella jumped up, and caught a glimpse of familiar oak brown eyes, filled with pain, before they were gone. She took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes. Elijah had been there. He had watched her cry and then throw up. Still, he didn't pull her into his arms like he would have before.

She knew it was for the best. He was dangerous now. He craved her blood. He could kill her easily. Still, that didn't make her crave his arms any less. Because, no matter what Ester had done to him, she would always love him. And all she had left now were fading memories and painful ideas of the future.

Bella pulled her knees up to her chin and cried some more.

_**~TLND~**_

Halia knew what she had been told. She was supposed to stay in the house all day. She couldn't see Niklaus, it was too dangerous. Adrian and Joseph even guarded the outside of her bedroom, to make sure that she didn't sneak off to see him.

They were terrible guards.

It was too easy, sneaking past them and out of their house. Halia didn't even bother to run when she made it to woods. There was no way that her brothers would catch up with her. They probably still thought her to be in her room.

Finding Niklaus proved more difficult. It was foolish and dangerous, sneaking off to see him. But Halia _had _to. Niklaus needed to know that she still loved him, no matter what he was. Halia would love him until the day she died, and even after. Always, Halia would always love him.

As Halia walked blindly though the woods, in search of Niklaus, a fearful scream suddenly caught her attention. She followed it, knowing that she would most likely encounter a Mikaelson sibling. It was very, very stupid of her, but Halia was naïve enough to believe that she wouldn't be harmed by them.

Halia ran towards the scream, hoping that she might be able to save the victim. She didn't want anyone to die, not a single person. When Halia ran into a clearing in the woods, she gasped suddenly, a horrific sight in front of her.

"Niklaus!" she exclaimed, brown eyes wide. She knew the girl struggling weakly in her love's arms, it was a girl she would even call a friend. Juliana, a girl she had known since birth. And she was half-death.

"Stop it!" she exclaimed. "You're killing her!"

Niklaus pulled away from Juliana's neck and growled at Halia. He looked like an absolute monster. Blood covered his face, dripping from his fangs. Halia stared fearlessly up at him, though.

"This is not you," she whispered. "Don't let some spell your mother casted change who you are."

Her words got through to him somehow. Halia saw something flicker in his eyes, and she continued. "I love _you _Niklaus, please remember that. Always remember that."

Almost in shock, Niklaus dropped Juliana to the ground. Halia hurried to her side and tried to heal her, but it was too late. Juliana's blank eyes stared up and her heart beat no more. She was dead.

"You killed her," Halia breathed, eyes wide. Then, suddenly, Niklaus collapsed to his knees, clutching his head.

"Niklaus!" she exclaimed, alarmed. She rushed to his side, her only fear caused by not the monster, but by what the monster was going through.

Halia met his eyes, and gasped slightly. They were not blue, or even red. They were yellow, and Halia knew exactly what that meant.

He was a werewolf, but he was also a vampire. He was both.

Niklaus was a hybrid.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **I feel it best to warn all of you that there are some sad, dramatic chapters ahead. :(

thank you to: thetrueoriginal, Sam0728, TVDobsession106, Samantha meyers, Belinda, Kate, and Katerina The Von for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	25. the fire

**Chapter twenty five**

_The fire_

Gemma wasn't like Halia. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that just because Kol loved her, that love would somehow seep through his thirst for blood and stop him from ripping out her throat. She was smart. She didn't go looking for Kol. She just found him.

Everyone avoided Kol like he had the plague, which led Gemma to believe that the villagers weren't as blind as she always thought them to be. They knew something was wrong with the Mikaelsons.

Gemma saw him walking towards her, a determined look in his brown eyes. She knew it would be best to not even talk to him, so she turned on her heels and made to run away. suddenly, Kol was blocking her path. Gemma gasped slightly. She didn't know that their speed would be increased.

"Gemma," he whispered, stepping closer towards her. Gemma stepped back, eyes wide with fear. She didn't know what he was capable of.

"Kol, please don't," she said, swallowing. She tried her best to remain strong, to not show how everything was getting to her, but she couldn't. Gemma was stressed out, she was afraid, but mostly she missed Kol. And now he was a vampire who thought her blood to be more delicious than any other.

Kol heard her heart beat in her chest, increasing with every step he took towards her. He heard her blood rushing through her veins, he smelled it. Gemma's blood was so appetizing, he could feel his fangs pressing into his bottom lip. Gemma gasped, seeing the transition herself.

Kol's eyes darkened to a red, his veins under his red eyes darkened too. All in all, he looked like one of the monsters in the stories she used to tell Halia when she was a child. "Stay away, Kol," she said, louder this time. She raised her hands, ready to drown him if she had to. Like that would kill him permanently.

Kol blinked and his face went back to normal. "Gemma?" he sounded confused and he stepped closer to her.

Gemma was puzzled as well. "You controlled your thirst," she pointed out, a little amazed. Kol had self-control; who knew?

Kol just shook his head. "Come here," he demanded, pulling Gemma into his arms. She stiffened and tried to pull away, but Kol's grip was unbreakable. She wasn't comfortable, being so close to a person who had been about to drain her dry seconds ago. Eventually, her need for Kol gave over and she rested her head on his shoulder.

The smell of Gemma's blood still made Kol thirsty, and his thirst wasn't something he had complete control over. If she were any other girl, Kol wouldn't of been able to control himself. But there was one thing stronger than his thirst, one thing that would always be stronger.

His love for Gemma. And that was what would save her from him.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella did everything she could do to avoid Elijah. She stayed in her house mostly, throwing up on the hour. Of course, with everything going on, Bella had gotten sick too. Her emotions were haywire, and Bella would go from crying to snapping at Garrett within minutes.

Bella couldn't hide out in her house forever, though. Life had to go on, and eventually Erik made her go to the village to buy food and trade things. She was jumpy as she walked through the woods by herself, on the lookout for any vampire that might want to hurt her.

"Bella."

Bella jumped and smacked her head on a nearby tree. She groaned and rubbed her head. She hated being so clumsy it was a curse.

She turned around, knowing exactly who was behind her. Elijah stared at her sadly, making sure to keep his distance. He didn't look different to Bella, he didn't even seem that different. But there was a certain darkness to Elijah, something that just came with being a vampire.

Bella made to run away, but Elijah stopped her. "Please," he said. "Just give me a chance to explain myself."

"There is nothing to explain, Elijah," Bella said, but she didn't run away. She stayed where she was, and stared warily at the man who would have been her husband.

"I am sorry," he started. "So, so sorry I attacked you, Bella. I am sorry I hurt you. I did not mean to, I swear. I would never hurt you if I could control it."

Bella sighed. "I know that, Elijah," she said.

"My mother, she did something to my siblings and I. We all crave blood. We are stronger than we used to be, faster. The sun used to burn us, but my mother gave us these rings so that it wouldn't." Elijah showed her his daylight ring as proof. "But the blood, Bella- it was all I could think about, for the longest time."

"She turned you into vampires, Elijah," Bella explained. "Ester did it, she made you immortal, so that she wouldn't have to lose any of her children ever again. She also did it so that we couldn't be together."

Elijah took in the news silently. Bella thought that he had probably already figured some of what she had told him out. "You hate me, don't you?" he asked suddenly, sounding resigned.

Bella's eyes widened. "Never, Elijah. I could _never _hate you."

"I _attacked _you, Bella. I could have killed you. I would have. You should hate me, things would be easier that way." Elijah began pacing as he talked, but he still kept a safe distance away from Bella as he did so.

"How so?" Bella watched him wryly, keeping to her side of the invisible barrier between them.

"I am more than capable of killing you. I am not going to give myself the chance to do so," he said, and Bella knew exactly what he meant. Hadn't she been doing the same thing? Staying away from him so that he wouldn't get the chance to kill her?

"I love you, Elijah," she told him bluntly. It was funny, how he was giving her the perfect chance to stay away from him, to remain safe, yet she couldn't bring herself to. She loved him too much. "And it will never matter to me what you are. I will _always _love you. Always."

Elijah looked pained. "I can kill you, Bella," he whispered, his resolve already breaking under the stare of her green eyes, so filled with love and compassion and a strange fierceness that Bella possessed. She wasn't going to let him get away, they both knew that.

"Just say you love me too," she said, stepping through the invisible barrier between them. She walked towards him, and Elijah stepped back. He didn't want to attack her, to kill her. But Bella just kept walking towards him.

"Say it, Elijah," she urged him, walking him into a tree.

He stared down at her for a while before sighing. "If anything, I love you more, Bella.," he admitted.

She smiled. A sad smile with a little happiness in it. Then she stretched up on her toes and kissed him. Elijah stiffened, but when he realized that he wasn't going to feed on her, he allowed himself to kiss her back.

Even after everything that had happened to both of them, Bella and Elijah were still kissing like teenagers in the woods.

Maybe some things hadn't completely changed.

_**~TLND~**_

Halia pounded on the front door of the Mikaelson house. She had to speak to a certain witch about her hybrid son.

Ester answered, not looking too surprised to see Halia. "Come in," she said, opening the door wider for her.

Bella frowned suspiciously at her, before walking into the house. She followed Ester into a separate room, and she never took her eyes off of her.

"What can I help you with, Halia?" Ester asked politely.

"Niklaus is a vampire and a werewolf, Ester," she said bluntly. "But how could that be? Mikael isn't a werewolf, none of your other children are werewolves. How is Niklaus different from them?"

Ester sighed. She didn't have to explain anything to the youngest fairy, but she did anyway. "I made a mistake, Halia," she started. "A few years after Finn was born, I made the mistake of having an affair with another man. A werewolf. Nine months later, Niklaus was born. That werewolf is his father, not Mikael."

Halia gasped. "You cheated on your husband? How? Why?"

"I do not need to explain myself to you," She snapped.

Halia's mind was still reeling. Niklaus _was _a hybrid, and that made him stronger than any of his other siblings, or his stepfather.

As if reading Halia's thoughts, Ester said, "My son is too strong for his own good, stronger than nature will allow him to be."

Halia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I think that nothing you do will redeem you in the eyes of nature, Ester."

She pretended like Halia hadn't spoken. "Tonight, I shall be casting a spell, binding Niklaus' werewolf side. It is for his own good, Halia."

The young fairy gaped up at her. "No, I will not let you!" she exclaimed. "He is your son, Ester. You cannot turn your back on him now."

As if sensing this would be Halia's reaction, Ester started muttering a spell. Halia gasped in pain and clutched her head. Then she fell to her knees and passed out.

Ester stared down at her body for a while, before walking over to a table. She searched for something, but she couldn't find it. Ester frowned, eyes widening in alarm. What she was looking for was a knife that killed fairies permanently. And it was missing.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella walked home after her talk with Elijah. She felt better, more relaxed. There was a smile on her face. She didn't know where they would go, since Elijah was a vampire. But he loved her and she loved him. That counted for something.

Bella gasped suddenly, an ominous feeling consuming her as she approached her house. In the twilight, she noticed something in the path leading to her house. It was still, unmoving. Bella squinted her eyes and walked towards it.

When she was a few feet away, Bella froze. She realized what was in the path. Or more likely who. a sob escaped Bella's throat and she fell to her knees.

Adrian. It was Adrian. And he was dead.

"No, no, no," Bella repeated over and over, shaking her eldest brother as if he might wakeup. But his gray eyes stared blankly up at the darkening sky, a bloody wound in his chest. Adrian was gone. Forever.

The smell of smoke filled the air, and for the first time ever Bella looked over to her house. She gasped again, horror flooding her features.

Her house was on fire.

Bella heard screams of pain, of terror, coming from the house, and knew that that wasn't the worst part. Her parents were inside. Burning alive.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **five chapters left. PREPARE YOURSELVES! I cannot stress this enough. I want you all to prepare yourselves for the next few chapters. You're probably going to hate me, that's all I'm going to say.

Thank you to: Sam0728, thetrueoriginal, TVDobsession106, Katerina The Von, Belinda, and HoneyGee08 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :D


	26. the betrayal

**Chapter twenty six**

_The betrayal_

When Bella was nine, she broke her wrist playing a game with Gemma. Adrian was there, and, being the oldest brother, he carried a crying Bella to their mother. He let her sob into his shoulder and told her funny stories to distract her from the pain.

Bella's earliest memory as a child was hearing her mother sing a strange lullaby to her. Whenever she had a nightmare, Abigail would be right there, waiting for her to run into her arms. Then she rocked her in her arms and sang the lullaby into her ear until she fell asleep again. Abigail was an amazing singer.

When Bella turned three, Erik got her a doll that cost him one of his finest swords. He traded it for the doll, though. Because Bella had been his youngest daughter at the time, and he wanted nothing more than to make her happy.

Those moments, the happiest moments Bella had shared with her deceased family, was all that Bella could think about as she watched Gemma and Garrett put out their house. He stared at the orange flames with empty eyes. Adrian. Abigail. Erik. They were all dead.

Joseph wrapped Adrian's dead body in a sheet. "Farewell, Brother," he whispered, his hazel eyes stinging with silent tears. Then he looked over to Bella, who sat at the base of the tree, looking like a zombie.

"Bella," he whispered, opening his arms. "Come here."

His words seemed to bring her back to life. She hugged Joseph tightly, trying her best not to fall apart again. "They're dead," she mumbled over and over. "They're dead, Joseph."

"Shh." Joseph couldn't break down over the loss of his oldest brother and parents. He was the big brother now. He had to lead. He had to take Adrian's place. "We will be okay, Bella. Our family will be okay."

"How?"

Gemma met Joseph's hazel eyes, her brown ones filled with hysterical grief. "How will we be okay?" she asked, as Garrett finished putting out the rest of the fire. Their house, the house they grew up in, was burned to ashes. There was nothing left.

"We will, Gemma," he promised her. "We'll pull through."

Bella pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Okay," she said, her throat still tight, but she couldn't cry at that moment. She could later that night, when the remainder of her family didn't require her to be strong. "We will go down to the caves and sleep there tonight. Someone must guard at night, and we can rotate shifts."

"Why do we need to do that?" Garrett asked, staring up at the sky. He couldn't look at his big brother's body, even if it was wrapped up.

"Because, isn't it obvious? Somebody _murdered _Adrian. They murdered Mother and Father. And they will kill us next if we give them the chance," Bella said. She swallowed and forced herself to keep her composure.

Gemma nodded in agreement. There was a rather long list of people who would want to kill the fairies, a certain witch at the top of it. "Tomorrow morning, we can figure everything else out," Gemma said.

"Wait, what about Halia and Adora?" Garrett asked, and that was when Bella realized her other two sisters were missing.

She frowned. That wasn't good. Not in the slightest. "I will find them," she said, starting off towards the woods.

"No!" Joseph said, grabbing her arm. "You will not be going out by yourself, Bella."

"I will be fine," she assured him. "You just get everything settled in the caves. I will find Adora and Halia and we will join you."

"Joseph is right, Bella," Gemma said. "Let one of us go with you."

"I am more than capable of defending myself," she said dismissively.

"Oh, and Adrian wasn't?" Gemma retorted with a raised eyebrow.

She was right. Adrian's connection to animals didn't seem like much, but it could be rather useful. It could even be a good weapon, having wild dogs attack your enemies on your command. Adrian mainly used his gift for hunting, but if he had been attacked he would've had the animals of the woods defend him. Yet Adrian was still dead.

That meant that his killer was strong and powerful. Stronger and more powerful than Adrian.

"I will be fine," Bella repeated. "I promise."

Her three siblings stared skeptically back at her. But Bella had already taken off into the woods. The only thing they could do was hope that they didn't lose another sibling that night.

_**~TLND~**_

Halia groaned as she sat up. The room she was in was dark and the house was silent. She rubbed her head, remnants of pain still there, when she remembered Ester's plan to bind Klaus' werewolf side, turning her back on her son.

She stood up and quickly ran out of the house. If she hurried, she might be able to stop Ester. She could warn Niklaus, or stop Ester herself. She needed to protect Niklaus from his mother. It wasn't his fault, what he was. Halia loved him anyway.

She ran through the village, past the piles of white oak ash. He Mikaelsons had burned down the tree the night before, because it was the only thing that could kill them. She noticed villagers running into their houses, and a few yelled at Halia to hurry inside, for her own safety, but she ignored them.

In the pitch dark, Halia ran through the woods. She had no idea where Ester would be performing the spell, but she could get Bella to use her intuition and find out. Lost in her plans to stop Ester, Halia tripped over a log in the path, and fell to her knees. Right in front of somebody.

Fear shot through Halia. Meeting strangers in the middle of the woods was never a good thing. But she sighed in relief when she saw that it wasn't a stranger in front of her. It was just Adora.

Halia stood up and brushed off her dress. She ignored the fact that she and Adora weren't on speaking terms at that moment, and decided to recruit Adora to help her stop Ester. She claimed to love Niklaus, after all. And she hated Ester with a burning passion. Adora would be the perfect candidate to help Halia.

"Adora," she said, slightly breathless. "You need to help me. It is Ester. She is going to-"

Halia stopped herself when she saw a slow smile form on Adora's lips. It was an eerie smile, one that belonged to a mentally insane person, a psychotic killer. Halia frowned slightly. "Adora, are you alright?" she asked, taking a step away from her sister.

Adora's smile grew. "Oh, I am just fine, Halia. I am perfect."

Halia barely saw the knife in Adora's hand, bloody, strike out. She just dodged it, but in grazed her arm, drawing blood. Halia gasped in pain, brown eyes widening. :"What are you doing?" she asked, fearful.

Adora's smile just grew even bigger. "It is all a part of the plan, Halia," she said, stalking forward.

Halia scrambled backwards, her eyes never leaving the knife in her sister's hand. Who's blood was on it? Who else did Adora kill?

"Killing me? that is a part of your plan?" She asked quietly. At that moment, she hated not having a more defensive power. At least she could heal herself. Only the cut on her arm wasn't healing. Halia's eyebrows furrowed just as Adora struck out again.

This time, Halia aimed a kick at her sister's stomach. Adora fell to the ground, the knife still in her hand. Halia made to run, but Adora grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. "Yes, it is," Adora said breathlessly, as Halia kicked and clawed at her.

"Don't Adora, please," Halia whimpered as Adora held her down with her feet on her stomach. She struggled and squirmed, but it was no use. "I am your sister."

Adora's eyes met Halia's. And Halia saw how cold and emotionless they were, just before Adora struck her knife out again.

This time, Adora made contact with Halia. She stabbed her baby sister right in the chest. She watched her howl in pain as she slowly bled to death.

"If I cannot have Niklaus, than neither can you," she whispered to her dying sister. Then she wiped her hands clean on her dress and walked away.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella ran through the woods, in search of Adora and Halia. She was ready for the murderer to attack her. Her hands were raised and her eyes darted around the darkness in the woods.

It was so dark in the woods, that Bella didn't notice the small lump in the middle of the path until she was right in front of it. Bella frowned down at the thing in front of her. It was hard to tell what it was in the darkness. But then her green eyes widened when she made out a dark brown curl, light pink fabric that made a dress. Only the fabric was soaked with blood.

It seemed like time was frozen, when Bella realized what was in front of her. Her eyes were wide with horror, and she couldn't believe it. No, it wasn't a possibility.

Not Halia. Not dear, sweet Halia.

A sob erupted from Bella's throat as she fell to her knees next to her baby sister. Halia, her baby sister. The one she had practically raised. The one who she was closest to out of all her siblings. The youngest. The most innocent. The most naïve. Dear, sweet Halia shouldn't of been covered in her own blood, she shouldn't of had a knife wound in her chest. She should've grown old and married Niklaus. They should've had a family together. They should've lived happily ever after.

If Bella had done her job as a big sister right, that was what would've happened.

Tears streamed down Bella's face as she pulled her little sister into her arms. She brushed her hair out of her pale face and rocked her back and forth gently. "I am so, so sorry, Halia," she whispered. "I should've been a better sister."

Suddenly, a big brown eye opened and stared up at Bella. It was filled with agonizing pain, and hope threatened to suffocate Bella. Halia was still alive.

"Halia!" she whispered hoarsely. "Heal yourself! You have to heal yourself!"

"I… I cannot." Halia's voice was rough and weak. "My… powers… gone."

Bella's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and disappointment hit her hard. Halia couldn't heal herself. She was still going to die.

But Halia's one opened eye was full of determination. "Bella…:" she whispered. "Adora, Bella. Adora…"

It took Bella three seconds to figure out what she meant by that. Adora had stabbed Halia. She was the reason Halia was slowly dying in Bella's arms.

How? How could Adora do that to her _sister?_

"Bella." Halia got her attention again. "Tell… Tell Niklaus… tell him… I love him."

Halia held Bella's gaze for a few more seconds, her last words hanging in the air. Then the light left Halia's big brown eyes, and then she died.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **I warned you. I warned all of you guys to prepare yourselves.

This chapter was so hard for me to write. I was bawling my eyes out while I wrote it.

Thank you to: TVDobsession106, HoneyGee08, thetrueoriginal, Katerina The Von, purpleXorchid, and Belinda for reviewing.

Review, and yell at me for killing Halia. I really deserve it.

~Abby :'(


	27. the killer

**Chapter twenty seven**

_The killer_

Even after Halia's heart stopped beating, Bella held her in her arms. Halia's head rested in her lap, he dark brown curls splayed out. Her brown eyes were still open, and they were empty. No matter how much Bella could hope, she was still dead. Her baby sister was dead.

Bella's eyes were red and puffy. Her eyes were dry, and she had no more tears left to cry. She still shook with silent sobs, the kind that hurt your chest, but no tears came out. What could have been either minutes or hours, Bella finally got ahold of herself.

Her hands shaking, she closed Halia's eyes. Bella kissed her sister's pale forehead one last time before she gently laid her down on the ground. "Goodbye, sister. I hope you find peace," she whispered.

Bella's legs felt like jelly when she stood up. She was amazed that she could even support her body. Her dress was covered in Halia's blood, her hands coated in it. Bella didn't like leaving her little sister in the woods, but she had something she _needed _to do. Something she couldn't do while carrying her sister's body. She would come back for it, though. She'd make sure Halia would get a proper burial.

Bella stumbled through the woods, her pain numbing her, her rage blinding her. Bella wasn't sensible anymore. She was unreasonable, not willing to listen to the voice in her head telling her to think things through. She was going to get revenge for her sister's death. Even if it meant killing her other sister.

"Adora!" she shouted into the night, stumbling into a tree. "Adora! _Adora! _Don't be a chicken. Come face me like a grown up. _Come face me."_

Bella's voice was rough, she barely sounded like herself. She leaned against a tree for support. She felt dazed, her grief slowing her senses. Still, Bella wasn't going to give up. She was going to face Adora. She wasn't going to let her get away with what she had done.

"_Adora!" _she screamed one last time. Her throat was hurting from all of her shouting, but it got lost in all of the emotional pain she was suffering.

"No need to shout, sister. I am right here."

When Bella looked at Adora, dangerously calm, She didn't feel anger. She didn't feel rage or even hate. No, when Bella looked at Adora, she felt _loathing. _Bella legitimately loathed her eldest sister. And for the longest time, Bella never thought herself capable of loathing somebody, let alone her own sister. But Halia's death changed that. Adrian and Erik and Abigail's death changed that. She was capable of loathing now.

"_What did you do?" _She demanded, slightly hysterical. She looked and felt like a mess, especially compared to Adora.

Adora was calm, cool, relaxed. Her dress didn't have one wrinkle or stain. Her hair was in flawless curls, looking white in the moonlight. She didn't look like a young woman who had just committed murder.

"I was just testing out my new power, Bella," Adora said casually, running her hands across the rough bark of a tree as she walked slowly towards Bella.

Through the thick fog in her mind, Bella managed to understand her words. What did she mean, new power? "What are you talking about?" She asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"What did you think Adrian and I did during our visits to the caves? Played house? We had a mission, Bella. And we succeeded." A self-satisfied smirk formed on Adora's lips.

Bella didn't even have the strength to ask what she meant. She was so full of mixed emotions. Her anger, her loathing gave her strength to stand, to face Adora. But her grief and pain took strength away from her as fast as she had gained it. She found it hard to even think. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball on the ground and closed her eyes. If she was lucky, she might die there. Adora might kill her, too. That way she could join Halia, Adrian, and her parents on the other side. She wouldn't have to live with her pain.

Figuring out that Bella wasn't going to ask what she meant, Adora explained anyway. "For months now, Adrian and I have been trying to find ways to expand my power, to make me more powerful. And tonight, we succeeded. We've been calling on the essence of nature, and we were finally answered," Adora said, coming to a stop few feet away from Bella.

Something registered in Bella's mind. "You were with Adrian tonight?" she asked. Of course, Adora killed him too. It didn't matter that they were close, the best of friends. Who knew what Adora would do, what she was capable of?

"Yes, I was. I reckon that you found his body? Did you find the house, too?" Adora's expression didn't change. Not a bit of guilt or regret or pain flashed in her eyes.

"You killed him," Bella breathed, too numb to feel the pain wash over her.

"I did. I set the fire that burned our parents to death as well," Adora stated.

"_Why?" _the question fell from Bella's lips. Why? Why would she stab Halia and Adrian? Why would she set the house she grew up in on fire? Knowing that it would kill her parents as well? Why? _Why?_

"I killed Halia because I could not let her have Niklaus. She deserved it, anyway. She turned her back on me, on our sisterhood. I killed Adrian because he got in the way. He refused to go along with the plan, and he turned his back on me as well. And our parents? They were never there for us, Bella. Not really. They thought us freaks. They turned their backs on us too," Adora said, walking even closer to Bella.

"Do you sense a pattern, Bella? If somebody turns their back on me, I shall kill them. I will not award disloyalty."

Bella choked out a humorless laugh. "Disloyalty? Do you even know what loyalty is, Adora? You killed our _family. _For petty reasons, you killed them. And you do not even regret it," Bella said, glaring at Adora.

"There is nothing to regret," Adora said simply.

Anger, hatred, loathing, surged through Bella. She lunged for Adora, wanting her to feel even half the pain she had caused her. But then hot, searing pain shot through her head, and Bella fell to her knees.

Clutching her head, she gasped in pain. The only good thing that came from Adora's attack was that it cleared the numbness, the fog, from Bella. She was wide awake now.

Adora dropped her gaze from Bella, and the pain stopped. She panted, rubbing her temples. "I have a plan, Bella," Adora started to say in a clear voice, slight anger hidden within her words. "I wish for fairies to be the dominant race. I wish for us to be stronger, better, and more powerful than any vampire, human, witch, or werewolf out there. We can be, our family. We are better than them, all of them. But I cannot do it alone. I want you to join me, Bella. I want our family to join me."

Bella looked up at Adora, disbelief in her eyes. How could she think, even for a second, that she would join her, after she killed half their family? _How?_

"I will kill anyone who turns their back on me, Bella," Adora added in a warning tone.

Bella stared up at Adora, pretending to think about her offer. But Bella didn't even have to think. She knew her answer. "Burn. To. Hell," she said in slow, deliberate words.

Adora's eyes quickly darkened with anger. "You're pathetic, Adora," Bella continued, standing up. "You're pathetic, and I pity you."

Adora launched herself at Bella, tackling her to the ground. She clawed at her younger sister's skin, her hands going for her neck. But Bella wasn't going to give her a chance to make herself Adora's fifth victim of the night. She hit her sister back, kicking her, clawing her. She yanked her hair and drew as much blood as she could. She wanted Adora to be in pain.

But Adora got her fair share of hits in too. Bella was bloody and battered when she fell to the ground. Adora was a few feet away from her, on the ground as well. There, between them, was the knife that Esther had created, the knife that had killed Halia and Adrian.

Bella crawled forward and wrapped her fingers around the gem incrusted handle. Right away, she could tell that there was something different about the knife. She could sense something within it, power, possibly. It was her dead siblings' power, inside the knife. The knife had taken their powers away from them. That was why Halia couldn't heal herself.

Bella forced herself to stand up. On unsteady legs, she walked over to Adora, who was still on the ground. She tried to get herself together, but she was shaking, and there were tears in her eyes. She couldn't remain calm, cool, and indifferent like Adora. She was broken from the inside out.

Adora watched her, her eyes swollen from when Bella had punched her. Now was her chance. She could avenge her dead family. She could kill Adora.

Only, she couldn't. Because that wasn't who Bella was.

Adora knew this, too. "Do it," she taunted quietly, eyes wild. "I dare you. Do it. Do it! _DO IT!" _

Bella remained standing, though. Adora rolled her eyes. "No, you won't. You're so weak. A pathetic excuse for a fairy. You call me pathetic? You are the pathetic one, not me!"

Bella swallowed, and the knife slipped from her fingers. It fell to the ground and the dirt muffled the sound it made. "No, I cannot kill you. I will not sink to your level. I am better than you," Bella said firmly. She wouldn't become a killer like Adora. She wouldn't spill family blood.

Bella turned her back on Adora and walked away. She didn't know where'd she go. She just wanted one pair of comforting arms, to hold her while she sobbed and cried over the loss of her family. And she knew which pair of arms she craved above all us.

It happened so quickly.

Bella heard the footsteps coming towards her, and turned around. She just saw Adora, crazed with the knife raised, about to strike. Then she waved her hand automatically, and the knife went right into her throat.

Time slowed after that. Bella watched with wide eyes, as Adora gurgled on her own blood, slowly falling to her knees. She was dead before she hit the ground.

Bella was a killer. She had killed a person, her own sister. That made her no better than Adora. She was a killer.

Bella sank to her knees, just staring at Adora's dead body. She was _dead. _Bella loathed her for what she had done, but she was her _sister. _And still, Bella killed her. She killed her _sister._

A new round of sobs escaped Bella, fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She cried. She cried for Adrian. For Erik and Abigail. She cried even harder for Halia. She even cried for Adora. Though not for the heartless killer, Adora. She cried for her sister, Adora. The girl she had grown up with. But that Adora had died long before Bella ever killed her.

"Bella?"

Bella didn't want him there. She didn't want him to see what a monster she was. She shook her head rapidly as she continued to shake with sobs.

"_Oh, Bella." _Elijah took in the scene. A sobbing Bella, a dead Adora. A while away, Rebekah was crying over Esther's death. Mikael had killed her, or so they all thought. In the woods, away from where he was now, Niklaus held Halia's dead body in his arms, refusing to let her go. So much had happened that night. So much tragedy.

"What happened, Bella?" he asked her, kneeling down to face her. Bella shook her head, and Elijah took in her injuries. She was hurt, badly. Halia could not heal any longer, so Elijah had to heal Bella himself. He bit into his wrist and offered his blood to her. But Bella shook her head, tears continually rolling down her cheeks.

"It will heal you," he insisted. But Bella shook her head again. She didn't deserve to be healed.

Slowly, Elijah put everything together. Brown eyes wide, he asked, "Bella… did you kill Adora?"

A pause. Then slowly, Bella nodded. More tears came, and a heartbreaking sob escaped her throat.

"Did she kill Halia?" he asked. Since Bella was unable to speak, she nodded again.

"Bella…" he pulled her into his arms. The smell of her blood burned his throat, but he didn't care. He felt Bella's pain at that moment, and there was so much pain to feel.

At first, Bella struggled. But eventually, she grew too weak to struggle and she gave in. Bella rested her head on Elijah's shoulder and continued to cry until she had no more tears to cry. He hugged her to him, silently offering as much comfort as he could. But him holding her was as much comfort as Bella needed.

For hours, the two sat on the ground, holding each other. Eventually, the loss hit Elijah too. He had lost his mother that night. But he forced himself to be strong for Bella. He had to remain strong for her.

All that night, the comforted each other. One killer comforting another.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **ugh, such an intense chapter to write.

Thank you to: thetrueoriginal, TVDobsession106, HoneyGee08, Katerina The von, Belinda, and kate for reviewing.

Review!

~Abby :/


	28. the goodbye

**Chapter twenty eight**

_The goodbye_

People grieved in many different ways. Some people cried and were open with their feelings- this was seen as the healthy way to grieve. Some people got angry and broke things. Some people acted indifferent, like they were unaffected by their loss. Some people shut in their feelings, had them locked up tight. They did this to protect themselves from the pain.

It never worked, though. It was better to face your feelings at the beginning. Keeping them locked up never helped. Because the longer you repressed your pain, your sadness, your grief, the worse it all felt when you finally faced it. And, eventually, everyone faced their pain. You couldn't ignore it, outrun it. It would always be there, even after you grieved and let it out. Because some pain refused to leave us. That was the kind of pain that went with losing people you loved.

Still, People did it. They still hid their feelings, refused to face them. Sometimes because they were too prideful to face it. They thought that crying, that grieving, would make them weak. Sometimes it was because they thought that they were strong enough to ward off the pain. But mostly, it was because they just didn't want to face the pain. They knew that the pain would hurt them, and they didn't want that.

Pain was a part of life, though. It wasn't something you could never feel. And usually, you got over your pain. You healed from it. You grew stronger. But there was some pain that never went away. Pain that eventually made you numb. It was the pain that stayed with you until the day you died, latching onto you and refusing to let you go.

Days had passed since the night full of deaths and tragedy and pain. The dead had been buried. The villagers had moved on from the loss of life amongst them. Only two families had yet to move on with the rest of them. They were the two families who had lost.

Gemma fell into all three categories of ignoring pain. She was too prideful to feel pain, she thought she was strong enough to keep it away, and she was honestly scared of letting her pain swallow her whole. So, she sat at the lake, her knees pulled up to her chin. Her eyes weren't red and dry, her face wasn't puffy. She had managed to not cry over her dead family, but Gemma was still numb. She felt... hollow, dead almost. Her pain was eating her away on the inside, but she still refused to face it.

She should've been with Garrett, Joseph, and Bella. They were the only family she had left. But she couldn't. She couldn't put on a brave face and lead the remainder of the fairies. She was oldest now, which meant that she and Joseph were in charge. But Gemma wasn't meant to lead, to be in charge. She wasn't meant for power. Who knew what it would do to her? Adora had gained extra power, and it drove her to kill half of her family.

_Adora. _Gemma gritted her teeth. She hated herself for the tiny smidge of sadness she felt over Adora's death. She killed Halia, Adrian, Erik, and Abigail. Gemma shouldn't be sad that she died. She didn't blame or hate Bella for killing her- Bella hated herself enough for it. But still, Gemma still remember her eldest sister. They had been close, especially when they were younger. That Adora had died, her sister had died.

Gemma gritted her teeth and shook her head. That was another reason Gemma shut her pain away. She hated that some of that pain was because of Adora's death. How could she feel pain over the death of the killer of her family? Did that make her a terrible person?

"Gemma."

She sighed at that voice. She guessed that she was supposed to him for comfort. That was what Bella had done with Elijah. That was what Ha- No, Gemma couldn't even think her name without a pang hitting her heart.

But Gemma knew she would cry if she faced Kol. She throw herself into her arms and sob into his chest. And Gemma would never live it down if she cried in front of Kol. She would hate herself. Crying showed weakness, and showing Kol that she was weak was something Gemma never wanted to do.

"Bella said you were here," Kol said in the same dead voice she was sure she had. It was the same dead voice that the Mikaelsons and Eriksons both had. It was the dead voice that people who had suffered great loss had.

"Did she now?" those were the first words Gemma had spoken in days. Her voice was rough from disuse.

Kol sat silently down at Gemma's side. "I am not going to tell you how sorry I am for my loss, because I am sure you have heard it far too many times from people who probably couldn't care less," he said after a few silent minutes. "Even though I am."

It was true. Gemma was going to punch the next person who gave her a pitiful look and said those words that they didn't mean. "I am sure that you have had the villagers say that to you as well," she said, her gaze focused on the clear water of the lake.

"Actually, I have not," Kol said, a twisted smirk forming on his lips. "No one feels any pity for the vampires of the village."

Gemma frowned. She had almost forgotten that Mikaelsons were vampires. She had almost forgotten that Kol wanted nothing more than to rip her throat open and drain the blood from her body.

There was a pause before Kol spoke again. "It does not really matter though, what the loss of my mother does to me. I do not have to feel that pain. It is quite nice, actually."

Gemma's eyebrows furrowed and she looked up at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I can shut off my feelings, Gemma, my humanity. It is like a switch. If I flip it, I do not have to feel anything. Nothing at all. And I like it. I like not feeling anything," he told her.

But in truth, one thing had kept Kol from completely shutting off his humanity. Gemma. If he shut off his humanity, he could not love her. And Kol liked loving Gemma. He knew she loved him too, even though she had only said it once, the night Henrik died.

Gemma thought about feeling nothing. It sounded nice. She'd love to feel nothing at all. she envied Kol at that moment. "Mikael left," Kol said suddenly. She noticed how he called his father by his first name, an edge in his voice. After all, everyone thought Mikael killed Esther, because she had cheated on him.

"Finn has too. Elijah should be leaving shortly. Rebekah and Niklaus will be too, after they bury our mother. We are all leaving, Gemma. I am too. We will be putting this village behind us," Kol told her.

Gemma exhaled sharply. Of course. She had lost her family, and now she was losing Kol too. She hated herself, because of how much she needed him. She hated herself even more, for realizing this just when she was losing him.

"I want to you to leave with me, Gemma."

At first, Gemma didn't hear his words. She frowned as she processed them. Then finally, her eyes widened and she looked up at Kol. "What?" she breathed.

"Will you leave here with me?" He asked, looking uncharacteristically serious.

Gemma took a deep breath and closed her eyes. How easy would it be, to leave this town behind and go to wherever Kol wished to bring them? She could be happy with him, something she never thought herself capable of being ever again. She loved Kol, and that love could save her from herself like Kol's love for her saved her from him. She could be happy.

"No."

There were a million reasons for Gemma not to go, and two reasons for her to go. She should've gone because she loved Kol and because of her family's death. But she couldn't leave because of her family's death. She could leave because of Bella, Joseph, and Garrett. Besides, leaving would make her weak, and Gemma wasn't weak. She didn't add it to her list, but Gemma was scared, by how much she needed Kol. She hated him for it too. She wanted to be without him to prove to herself that she didn't need Kol.

"What?" Kol's eyebrows furrowed, as if he couldn't understand the simple two letter word.

"I cannot go with you," she told him. Then, despite her earlier thoughts of proving she didn't need Kol, she said, with hope in her eyes, "But you can stay with me."

Kol shook his head. "I can't, Gemma. I cannot stay here."

She frowned. "So I am supposed to leave my family for you?" she asked, her words colder than she meant them to be. It sounded like she was silently asking why she would ever choose Kol over anything. But it was good, she wanted him to be mad at her. She wanted to be mad at him. It would be easier if they just hated each other, like before. Hate is easier than love.

"And I am supposed to stay here in this hell for _you?" _he retorted, standing up. Gemma flinched slightly.

Kol seemed to realize that Gemma was never going to leave with him, and he was never going to stay. There was only one thing they could do. Hate each other. It would make it easier to let each other go if they hate each other.

"I do not even know why I bothered to ask you," he muttered. "I believe that I would grow bored with you after a while."

She felt like he had slapped her. She swallowed, his cruel words bruising. "Whatever, Kol. I always knew I was just a game to you. You never meant any of the things you said to me," Gemma said, before fixing him with a long stare. "But you were just something to pass the time for me as well. Sex was all you ever had to offer me."

The cruel words came almost effortlessly. The two reverted back to their mutual hate easily. They even managed to convince themselves that they meant the words. They managed to convince themselves in the heat of the moment that they weren't madly in love with the person in front of them.

"Then I guess that it is a good thing I am leaving," Kol said coolly.

"I suppose it is," Gemma said quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kol regarded Gemma one more time before slowly backing away from her. Gemma took a deep breath, closing her eyes. It was for the best. Or, at least, that's what she told herself.

"Oh, Gemma?"

Gemma turned around to face Kol. His brown eyes weren't cold, they were sad. "Just so you know, I had every intention of making you Missus Kol Mikaelson."

With those words, Kol suddenly left in a blur, using his vampire speed to run away from her. Gemma sat back down on the ground, eyes wide. Kol was gone. He had left, but she had let him leave. Pushed him to go, even.

She had nobody to blame but herself.

Kol wanted her to leave with him, and she easily could've. But no, her pride got in the way. She told herself that it was for the best. She didn't need Kol. She was fine. Gemma would be fine without him.

That lie, mixed with the grief over her family's death, was why Gemma pulled her knees up to her chin and finally gave into the pain. She sobbed into her dress until there was no tears left. The pain never left, though. Gemma's pain would be with here until the day she died.

_**~TLND~**_

The days following that tragic night where half of the Erikson family died, Bella had troubles looking her remaining family in the eyes. She knew they didn't blame her for killing Adora, but she blamed herself. She spilled family blood- that made her no better than Adora.

Strange things had been happening to Bella too. She had been throwing up five times a day, she was extra emotional, her back and head ached all the time, and she was always tired. She could contribute most of these things to grief, but she had a feeling that it wasn't just that.

Walking through the village, Bella saw that the villagers had already moved on with their lives. She received pitiful looks, but Bella just looked down at the ground and focused on the goal at hand: getting food to feed her family.

"Bella."

Bella stopped and turned around to face Ayana. She frowned at the witch. "Ayana," she said, wondering what she wanted with her.

"I have something for you," the witch said briskly, all business. "It will keep your powers in check. And after you killed Adora, I believe that you will need the extra help."

Bella was glad for Ayana's harsh, honest words. She killed Adora. She was dangerous now. She was the first person not to care about her feelings, to say the honest truth. And Bella was thankful for that.

Ayana pressed a ring into her hand. It was simple looking, with a plain black stone in the center, made out of onyx. She frowned it slightly. "It will make the darker parts of your powers unavailable to your use, Bella," Ayana told her.

Bella nodded slightly and slid the ring on. She instantly felt weaker, like some of her powers were drained from her. She needed more control, though. She needed this ring.

Ayana walked away from her after that, while Bella stared down at her ring. If Adora had had this ring, would she have gone dark? Would Adrian, Halia, Abigail, and Erik still be alive? Would Adora still be alive?

"Bella. I've been looking for you."

Bella had been avoiding Elijah, because she knew he wanted nothing more than to convince her that she wasn't as evil, as terrible, as she thought she was. And as hypocritical as it was- since Bella would be doing the same thing if the roles were reversed- but Bella didn't want his comfort. She wanted somebody to tell her how awful she was.

"Hello, Elijah." Bella nodded and tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. He sighed and took her face in his hands.

"I wish you wouldn't keep hiding from me," he murmured.

She sighed. "It is not you, Elijah. I just need to be alone with my thoughts," she lied. Her thoughts were the problem. They wrapped around her, strangling and suffocating.

"Nice try, but I think that's exactly what you do not need," Elijah told her.

Bella sighed again. He knew her too well. "Is there something you need?" she asked him to change the subject.

Elijah sighed too, and pulled his hands away from her face. "Will you walk with me? We need to talk."

Bella nodded, frowning as she studied his face. It was calm, composed, never revealing more than he wanted to reveal. But to know what Elijah was feeling, all one would have to do was look into his eyes. Bella might have been the only one who knew Elijah well enough to know this.

His brown eyes were full of pain and concern. Yet, he remained strong. He remained strong for his family and Bella. She sighed. He was going through loss just like she was. He had lost his mother. His father had killed her. Elijah had tried so hard to be there for her, and she had pushed him away, too busy wallowing in self-pity.

As they walked, Bella intertwined their fingers, the simple gesture sending them both back to a much simpler time. Bella realized how much she missed him, as they held hands. Elijah's was big and cold, and Bella's was small and warm. He squeezed hers as they walked.

"What do we need to talk about?" Bella asked him, finding comfort in his presence. Why had Bella pushed him away? Because she was too busy hating herself?

Elijah sighed again, looking like he'd rather say anything other than what he was about to say. "I'm leaving, Bella."

Those three words stopped Bella cold. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "What?" she breathed, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

"My family and I, we are leaving the village. There is too much here. Finn has already gone, Kol should be leaving soon. Rebekah and Niklaus are leaving as well, as soon as they bury our mother. Mikael.. he has left as well, but this is a good thing. For everybody," Elijah explained.

"So, you are just… leaving?" _You are just leaving me? _That was Bella's true question, but it remained unspoken.

Elijah shook his head. "No, Bella. You do not understand. I want you to leave with me."

Very fiber in Bella's body screamed at her to leave, to salvage whatever bit of peace, of happiness she had with Elijah. To leave that damned village and the sadness and misery it held. But she couldn't. They both knew it. Bella could not leave, but Elijah asked anyway.

"I cannot, Elijah," she whispered. "I cannot leave my family."

"Then I will stay with you," Elijah said quickly, desperation in his eyes.

She shook her head. She felt terrible, and it had nothing to do with whatever sickness she had. "You cannot stay either. Niklaus needs you, he lost Halia. Rebekah lost her mother. Kol and Finn need you too- your family needs you, Elijah. You cannot leave them."

"So I am supposed to leave you?" They were stuck. Bella and Elijah were stuck between what their relationship had always been stuck between. Love and family. It was always supposed to be family, always. Family above all. But that meant losing the other, letting the other go. And neither wished to do that.

"Yes, I think you are," Bella said quietly, swallowing. This was so hard for her, letting Elijah go. Letting the future they were supposed to have go.

He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. No, he couldn't do that.

"Hey." Bella grabbed his face between her hands, forcing Elijah to look at him. She offered him a shaky, weak smile. "You are immortal now. You will forever, and eventually you will forget all about me. You will be okay, Elijah. I promise you, you will be fine."

He shook his head again. Bella would never understand how unforgettable she was. How her mere presence affected him. He would never forget her. He would never be the same without her.

"What about you?" he whispered hoarsely, catching her off guard. What about Bella? How would she be without Elijah? Would she move on? Find another husband? Have his children? The thought made Elijah see red. He could not stand the thought of Bella loving somebody else, but it would make her okay, make her happy again, who was he to stop it from happening?

As if reading his mind, Bella spoke up. "I promise you, I will never love anybody else. It will always be you, Elijah," she told him, her voice breaking slightly.

He opened his mouth to give her the same promise, but she shook his head. Bella would die in the next couple of decades. Elijah would live forever. She could promise that, but he couldn't. What would happen if he met a nice girl who made him happy? Was he not to love her because he made a promise to a dead fairy he almost married centuries ago?

"Don't. Don't make a promise you cannot keep," she told him.

"But-" Elijah tried to say, but she cut him off again.

"Don't, Elijah. Just don't. Because if you do, it will make everything so much harder," she whispered.

He sighed again, and placed his hand over Bella's. "Can I at least tell you I love you? Just one last time?"

Bella's eyes stung as Elijah kissed her softly, gently, on the lips. "I love you. I will _always _love _you." _

"I love you too," Bella choked out, before Elijah pulled away from her. She shut her eyes tightly as her arms fell limply at her sides. She didn't want to watch him walk away from her.

Elijah kissed her forehead one last time. Then, with all of his strength, he walked away from her. Every step he took, his resolve weakened. Eventually, he just ran. When Bella felt the breeze on her face, she opened her eyes to find herself alone.

Bella was completely and utterly alone.

She forced herself to stand as the tears fell down her cheeks. She had to stay for her family, she told herself. Just like Elijah needed to leave for his family.

The urge to vomit overcame Bella, and she threw up in a nearby bush. As she vomited, she placed a hand over her stomach. And that was when the vision overcame her.

It was more like flashes. Sharp pains in her head accompanied each flash. At first, all she saw were bits and pieces. A green eye. A brown eye. Black hair. A childish smile. Then the whole picture came together.

Two young boys, around the age of five. They were identical, with black hair, slightly tan skin, and mischievous smiles. Except for their eyes. One boy had oak brown eyes, the other bright green. They had to be the cutest little boys Bella had ever seen. They were for sure going to grow up to be handsome men.

Bella gasped as she came out of her vision. She instantly knew what had been happening to her, what her vision meant. There was a reason behind Bella being emotional, for her vomiting, her head and back aches, her tiredness and exhaustion. There was a reason behind her vision about the twin boys.

Bella was pregnant. And Elijah was the father.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **two chapters left!

Thank you to: Belinda, HoneyGee08, Katerina The Von, TVDobsession106, thetrueoriginal, Samantha meyers and AudreyDarke96 for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :)


	29. the five years

**Chapter twenty nine**

_The five years _

~Five years later~

"Mama! Mama! Tell Kaleb to stop!"

"Mama, tell Lukas not to be a crybaby!"

"I am _not _a crybaby! You are just mean!"

"Lukas, Kaleb, both you. Stop, or we are not going to see Harry and Auntie Gemma today," Bella threatened, fixing her sons with a firm look.

That shut them up. "No, mama, no!" Kaleb whined, looking up at her with his brown eyes.

Whenever Kaleb looked at her with his oak brown eyes, Bella's heart panged with pain. Both of them looked so much like Elijah, but Kaleb had his eyes. Lukas had Bella's eyes, but Elijah's personality. He was calm, moral, reserved, and honest like his father. Kaleb, on the other hand, was wild, outgoing, reckless, and full of energy. Her twins were the opposites of each other, though they shared one similar trait. Their loyalty. They were taught to value family above all, because that was what both Bella and Elijah believed in. Though they had never met their birth father.

"If you two behave, we can still go," Bella told them, looking back down at the dishes she was washing.

"We will, mama," Lukas promised her.

"Can we go play?" Kaleb asked her, antsy to get out of the house.

Bella bit her lip. Her husband, Liam, was working outside. If he saw Lukas and Kaleb…

"I will take you to the clearing after I am finished with the dishes," she told them. Even though she had managed to somehow convince Liam that the twins were his, he didn't treat them very well. The relationship reminded her of Mikael and Niklaus, and thinking of them made her think of Elijah.

Bella's life five years after Elijah left was a twisted version of the future they had planned out together. The only things that made her happy were her sons and her brothers and sister and their children. She had only married Liam for her sons. She needed a home and money to raise her children, and Liam needed a beautiful wife. He didn't even care that she was pregnant. It made Bella sound despicable, marrying Liam for his money, but Bella did it for her sons. She would do anything for her children.

The rest of the fairies had moved on as well. Gemma had married and had a son- Harry. Though the only reason she married her husband was because he threatened her life. She loathed her husband, but he was not nearly as bad as Liam.

Joseph had married, but his wife had died giving birth to his daughter, Faith. Bella had tried her best to be there for her brother and her newborn niece, but Liam didn't like it when she spent a lot of time with her siblings. And when Liam didn't like something, he got angry. And when Liam didn't like something…

Garrett had married as well. And his wife, Ella, was pregnant. For the most part, the Eriksons had moved on. They had moved on from their tragic pasts. Halia, Abigail, Adrian, and Erik were spoken about in quiet voices, resulting in Bella crying herself to sleep while Liam snapped at her to shut up and let him sleep. Adora was never spoken about, but no one forgot about her. She was the elephant in the room.

No one talked about the Mikaelsons either, specifically Elijah and Kol. Joseph, Gemma, and Garrett all knew that Elijah was the twins' father, but they never spoke of it. Bringing up Kol only made Gemma angry. But Bella knew that her sister regretted letting him leave. Every minute of every day, she regretted letting him walk away. Bella wouldn't of held anything against Gemma leaving, nor would have their brothers. Gemma knew that, too. It had been her pride, in the end, that kept her from leaving with Kol.

"Can we go now?" Kaleb whined and Bella sighed. One thing Kaleb hadn't gotten from his father was his patience.

"Yes Little Bear, we can go," she told him with a small smile. Bella put the last dish away then went to her sons. She smoothed down Lukas' hair and wiped Kaleb's face. He frowned his mother and pushed her away.

"Why do you call me Little Bear?" Kaleb asked her curiously as they walked out of the house. Bella forced her sons to hold her hands.

"I call you both Little Bear," she told him.

"Why?"

Bella shrugged. "It is a nickname. I have called you two Little Bear ever since you were born." There was silence as Kaleb and Lukas considered this.

"Mama?" Lukas asked her after a pause.

"Yes, Little Bear?"

"Why does father hate you?"

Bella's eyes widened and her heart picked up speed. "He does not hate me, Lukas. Why would you say such a thing?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light. He was only five, after all. He didn't understand.

"why does he hit you then?"

Her breath got caught in her throat. It had only happened a few times, usually when Liam was drunk and raging about Kaleb and Lukas and Bella was defending her sons. Liam would push her to the ground or slap her across the face. He'd grab her arm tightly, call her disgusting things. Then he'd try to have sex with her. Bella would always manage to get away from him by then, though. She'd grab Kaleb and Lukas and spend the night at Joseph's. When she'd come back in the morning, Liam would be sober and act like last night never happened. Bella never forgot, though.

She never imagined that they saw that, though. It usually happened when they were fast asleep. "He does not hit me, Little Bear," she told Lukas in a light voice. She didn't want her sons to know the truth. That the only reason Bella stayed with Liam and didn't run away like her siblings wished her to was because Liam would kill her siblings, her sons, and eventually her. There was no love in their marriage. Bella would only love one man the rest of her life, and he was the father of her children.

"But-" Kaleb tried to argue, but she quickly distracted them.

"Do you two wish to go to the village? If you two behave, I might buy you a new toy," Bella tempted with a smile.

That distracted them from the topic of Liam abusing Bella. They nodded, big smiles on their faces. Bella tried to smile too, but it came out as a grimace. She didn't just sit there when Liam hit her. She struggled and tried to get away. She even kicked him in the face a few times. This only made Liam angrier, though.

Bella looked down at the bruise on her arm, turning yellow. Liam hadn't gotten drunk and angry in a few weeks, but Bella knew better than to think that he had finally cleaned up his act. He had gone a month without hitting Bella before. Then we he finally did, it was the worst time ever. He had almost broken her jaw, and Bella had only gotten away by biting his arm, hard enough to draw blood.

When they got to the trade, the boys instantly made to let go of Bella's hands and run to a vendor selling wooden toys. Bella held onto their hands, though. "No, you two are not to go off on your own," she told them sternly.

Kaleb and Lukas sighed but nodded. Bella let go of their hands and gestured for them to follow her. They walked to a vendor selling fabric, and the boys groaned in boredom as Bella inspected every kind of fabric the vendor had.

"Your sons are so handsome, Bella," The vendor cooed, smiling in affection down at the little boys. She was an old lady, with almost no teeth left.

Bella smiled back. "Thank you."

"And they look more and more like Elijah every day."

Bella froze. Only her siblings knew that Elijah was Kaleb and Lukas' father. "What do you mean, Elijah? Liam is their father." Bella tried to speak as normally as possible, but her voice was raised an octave.

"Ah, right. It is not common knowledge that Liam is not your sons' father. Do not fret, your secret is safe with me." The vendor offered her a smile and went to talk to another customer, when Bella grabbed her arm.

"How- how did you know?" she whispered, eyebrows furrowed.

The vendor's gaze softened. "Your boys look so much like him. Lukas acts so much like him. And you loved Elijah so much, Bella. It was obvious that you were pregnant only a month after he left, and you would not of already moved on to another man that fast. In fact, I am fairly certain that you only married Liam because of your sons."

Bella nodded slowly. "Thank you," she whispered, before letting go off her arm and turning back to her sons. But Lukas was the only one sitting on the ground, picking apart a flower.

"Lukas!" Bella's eyes widened in fear, looking around wildly for her other son. "Where is Kaleb?"

Lukas looked around, as if just realizing his twin was missing. "I don't know."

Bella swiftly picked up Lukas and began running through the village, looking for her wild, out of control son. "Kaleb!" she called. "Kaleb!"

"Mama!"

Bella stopped running when she saw Kaleb sitting near the booth selling toys, a carefree smile on his lips. He was unaware that he had almost given his mother a heart attack.

"Mama, can I get this one?" he asked, as Bella approached him, put Lukas down, and picked up Kaleb.

"Don't you _ever _run off like that again," she whispered fiercely, hugging him to her.

"I just wanted a toy, mama. You promised I could get a toy," he mumbled.

Bella sighed and put Kaleb down. He was going to be the death of her. "If you keep running off like that, I'm going to stop taking you places," she threatened.

"Okay mama." Kaleb rolled his eyes as if to say _yeah, right. _"Can I get this toy now?"

Bella sighed but nodded. "Mama," Lukas started to say. "Who is Elijah?"

Bella froze. She really had to watch what she did and said around her sons. They were smart, and weren't oblivious to things around them like they used to be. "Just an old friend, Little Bear," she said lightly. "Would you like a toy as well?"

Lukas nodded, his green eyes lighting up. He and his brother went about picking out toys, and Bella used that time to calm her racing heart. She loved her boys so much, but they were going to give her a heart attack sooner or later.

"_Bella."_

Every fiber of Bella's being froze at that voice. That voice that she hadn't heard in five years. That voice that she only heard in dreams now. That voice that probably belonged to a vampire who had long forgotten about her.

Still, Bella whirled around in search of the man whom that voice belonged to. She didn't know whether or not she wanted him to be there. It didn't matter, though. He wasn't. She was probably just imagining his voice.

After Bella paid for her sons' toys, she brought them home again. They had to take a nap before they went to see Harry. Unfortunately, Liam was waiting for them when they got home. He looked angry too, and he reeked of alcohol.

"To your room," Bella said quietly to her sons, pushing them out of the kitchen. "Hurry."

"_Where were you?" _Liam growled at her, as Kaleb and Lukas ran away.

"The village," Bella replied calmly, setting down the things she had bought on the table. She was trying to diffuse her husband, but it wouldn't matter.

Bella gasped in pain as he slapped her across the face, sending her onto the floor. She hit her head hard on the floor, and saw dots in her vision for a few seconds. "_Don't lie to me, Bella!" _He growled, his voice thick with anger.

Bella stood up and went to run out of the room, when he grabbed her hair and yanked her back. "And where do you think you're going?" he chuckled darkly, his free hand roaming around her body.

Bella took a deep breath, and then sent Liam flying away from her telekinetically. She didn't use her powers around him a lot, because it only made him angrier. Bella down the hall, into her sons' room. she slammed the door shut then barricaded it so that Liam couldn't get in.

"Mama?" Kaleb said, confused as Bella sat down on the floor, as far away from the door as possible, and pulled her sons into her arms.

"Shh, it's fine. We're just going to stay in here for a while," Bella said, smiling despite the tears of pain in her eyes. Her cheek, head, and hair ached, but she forced herself not to show her pain, to remain strong for her children.

Liam started pounding on the door, yelling disgusting words at her. Bella just shut her eyes and held her sons against her.

"Mama? Why is father mad?" Lukas asked quietly, resting his head on Bella's chest while Kaleb rested his on Bella's shoulder.

"Shh, just close your eyes Little Bear," she told him.

Kaleb and Lukas closed their eyes, and Bella sang to them the same lullaby her mother used to sing to her. Eventually, the pounding and screaming stopped, and her boys were asleep. Bella put the twins in their beds before leaving their room.

The house was a mess, but Liam was gone. Bella sighed and placed a hand over her throbbing cheek before she went about cleaning up Liam's mess. Hopefully when he got home, he would be sober. Liam never hit her when he was sober.

As Bella cleaned, she studied the ring next to her wedding ring on her left hand. It was the black onyx ring that Ayana had given to her five years ago. She still wore it, to help keep her powers under control. Though Bella didn't use her powers very often, because of Liam. It only made him angrier, and he called her a freak.

Bella hummed the lullaby to herself as she cleaned. Sometimes, she imagined taking her children and running away. Only, Liam would kill her siblings and their families. Bella was stuck with him until she died. She regretted being foolish enough to marry him in the first place.

A knock on the door broke Bella out of her thoughts. She expected it to be Gemma or Joseph or Garrett. They would have a fit when they saw Liam's latest attack on her. Still, Bella made her way to the front door and opened it.

"Hello-" the words got caught in her throat, her eyes widened to the size of saucers. She blinked a few times, just to make sure that he wasn't an illusion. But he was still there, staring down at Bella as if five years hadn't passed, as if nothing had changed. When, in reality, everything had changed. Not everything though, because he still stared at her with the same love in his eyes he had five years ago.

"_Elijah."_

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **So, originally, this chapter and the following chapter were supposed to be one big chapter. But it was becoming a very long chapter and I wasn't even halfway finished. So I decided to cut it in half. Which means TLND is going to end on 31 chapters instead of thirty. I'm sorry if this was a little slow and boring. It was just introducing Bella's new life, her sons, and her abusive, jackass husband.

Thank you to: Belinda, Kara, HoneyGee08, thetrueoriginal, Brigette, TVDobsession106, and Katerina The Von for reviewing!

Review!

~Abby :)


	30. the imperfect family

**Chapter thirty**

_The imperfect family_

"Bella." They just stared at each other, studying each other's faces and how they had and hadn't changed.

Bella was five years older, but for the most part she still looked the same. Her eyes looked deader, though. They didn't hold the same light they had five years ago. That was perfectly reasonable though, after everything that had happened to her.

Elijah hadn't changed one bit, though. He looked as if he hadn't aged a day, because he was immortal. He would never age again. Bella was at a loss for words, and she just looked at him.

"What… what are you doing here?" she asked finally, not knowing what to feel. She had missed him. Every day, Bella had missed Elijah. But now that he was here, he would just have to leave again. And Bella couldn't handle letting him go a second time.

"I… I needed to see you" was all Elijah said. He and his siblings had been nearby, and Elijah couldn't resist the temptation to check up on Bella. His siblings thought him a fool for doing so, and Kol had no interest in seeing Gemma. He said that it would be cruel, messing with not only Gemma's mind and heart, but his own. Kol was right, of course. They were all right. But Elijah couldn't help himself. He just had to make sure Bella was all right. Then, before he knew it, he was knocking on her front door.

"Can I… can I come in?" Elijah asked awkwardly.

"Oh." Bella had forgotten that he needed an invitation now. "Yes, of course. Come in."

She didn't even think of saying no. She trusted Elijah. Bella held the door open for him, and Elijah stepped inside. They stared at each other some more, silently debating on what to do. Both wanted nothing more than to embrace, to kiss, to do things they hadn't done in years. But five years was a long time, and they both knew that Elijah had to leave eventually. Neither wanted to go through the pain of saying goodbye again.

"How… how have you been, Bella?" Elijah asked her softly.

She shrugged. "Fine, I suppose," she lied. But what was she supposed to say? The truth? That staying in the village where half her family died had been living hell? That every day she loathed herself a tiny bit more for killing Adora? That she missed him so much it hurt at times? That the memories of them around the village were her own personal torture? That her husband was abusive? That the only good things in her life were her siblings and her sons? Because that was the truth. That was the honest truth. Bella was not fine. Not even a little bit.

"Liar," Elijah said softly. That was one thing that hadn't changed. Elijah still knew her, almost better than she knew herself.

She smiled slightly. "How have you been?" she asked, straightening a chair that Liam had knocked over in his drunken rage.

"Fine," Elijah lied, his eyes never leaving her.

"Liar," Bella told him with a small smile.

He smiled back. Bella knew him just as well as he knew him. They couldn't lie to each other. And despite the fact that Elijah shouldn't of even been there, that it was just going to make everything that much more confusing and difficult, he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. "I missed you, Bella. So much."

Her eyes widened. Elijah's eyes were full of honesty, and she knew he meant it. Elijah had missed her just as much as she missed him. But before she could admit how much she had missed him, they were interrupted.

"Mama?" Lukas rubbed his eyes as he walked into the kitchen, a sleepy Kaleb behind him. "We're hungry."

Elijah's eyes widened at the two little boys who walked up to Bella. When they finally realized he was there, they frowned and hid behind Bella. But Elijah was too busy focusing on the fact that Bella had children. She had married and moved on. Her promise that she would never love another meant nothing.

"I suppose I should be going," Elijah said coolly, already walking towards the door.

"Elijah, wait!" Bella took off after him. He had to know the truth. Now was the time for Bella to tell him.

"What, Bella?" he asked her as they stood in front of her house, Kaleb and Lukas watching them curiously from the window. "What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"It's not what you think," she told him, her heart racing at what she was about to tell him.

"Oh? So you are not married and those are not your children?" Elijah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yes. But-"

"Then it is exactly what I think," he cut her off coolly, walking away.

"Elijah, wait!" she exclaimed again. "They're yours!"

"What?" Elijah stopped walking and froze.

"You are their father, Elijah," she told him, watching him carefully.

His brown eyes were wide. He was a father. For five years, he had been a father and he had had no idea. "I am?" he said finally, looking dazed.

Bella nodded. "You are."

They stared at each other some more. This changed things. It made things even more complicated. Bella almost regretted telling Elijah about Kaleb and Lukas, but he deserved to know that he was a father. Bella had no right to withhold that from him.

But what if Elijah didn't even care? She knew that the Elijah from five years ago would want everything to do with their sons, but she didn't know if this Elijah was different. What if he didn't care that he was a father?

"Do you-" Bella cut herself off and ran a hand over her face.

"Do I what, Bella?" he asked quietly, stepping closer to her.

"Do you even want anything to do with them?" she asked. _Do you even want anything to do with me anymore?_

He looked surprised. "They're my sons," he told her.

"Yes, I know. I gave birth to them," she replied dryly.

Elijah smiled slightly, the corner of his mouth just twitching upwards. "Of course I want something to do with them."

Before Bella could respond to that, Elijah suddenly stiffened. "Somebody is coming," he informed her.

Bella paled. If Liam saw her talking to Elijah, she would have worse injuries then a welt on her face and aching body parts. "It is my husband," she informed him. "You need to go. Hurry. Come by tomorrow when he goes on his hunting trip."

Elijah's face darkened at the mention of Bella's husband, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Bella hurried back inside. She needed to act normal. Kaleb and Lukas were still sitting in the kitchen, looking confused.

"Who was that man, mama?" Kaleb asked her with wide eyes.

"You called him Elijah. Isn't Elijah your friend?" Lukas added, and Bella sighed. He was too smart for his own good.

"Want to play a game?" Bella asked them suddenly, and they both nodded, faces lit up with excitement.

"The game is: we do not speak of Elijah at all. The person who lasts the longest wins," she told them.

"Wins what?" Lukas asked.

"Anything they want. Toys, trips to the clearing, anything they want," she promised him. "So do you two want to play?"

They both nodded. Another characteristic the two shared were their competiveness. They hated losing. "Okay. Start… now!"

Both of them instantly clamped their mouths shut and Bella laughed. "You can talk, you just can't talk about _him." _

"Can we eat? I'm hungry," Kaleb said quickly. Bella laughed again, before going to fix them up something to eat. She'd have them eat in their rooms, to keep them away from Liam.

"Are we ever going to see _him _again?" Lukas asked ten minutes later, as Bella ushered them into their room, three bowls of stew in her hands.

Bella frowned thoughtfully. "Yes, I think we are." Bella shouldn't of wanted to see Elijah again. It just made everything that much harder when he finally left. But she couldn't help but be excited for tomorrow.

Five years had passed since she and Elijah had said goodbye. And, just like she had promised him, Bell never stopped loving him and she never loved another.

_**~TLND~**_

Bella tried to busy herself that morning. She cleaned her house from top to bottom over and over again. She tried to not be too excited to see Elijah again, in case he decided not to come. But a few hours after Liam left on his three day hunting trip, there was a knock on the door.

When Bella saw Elijah, she couldn't help but smile at him. "You came," she said, disbelief in her eyes.

"Of course I did." Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Why would I not?"

Bella shrugged. He was a vampire now. He probably met other girls, slept with them. He probably saw more things than she ever will. He might've had no time for his first love and their love children.

"Mama!" Kaleb and Lukas came running out of their rooms. They stopped when they saw Elijah. Elijah stared back at them, studying his five year old sons who had no idea he was their father.

"Boys," Bella said. "We're going to be spending the day with Elijah."

Kaleb gasped and pointed at her. "You talked about him! You lost the game, mama!"

She had forgotten all about the game she had started. "New rule: we can talk about Elijah in front of Elijah."

Kaleb and Lukas nodded in understanding, but kept staring apprehensively at him. "Why can't they speak of me?" Elijah asked, confused yet amused at the same time.

"Because I do not want Liam finding out about you," Bella said absentmindedly, smoothing down Lukas' curly black hair. It refused to lay flat on his head.

"Liam-?" Elijah's eyebrows furrowed.

"My husband," Bella answered, biting her lip.

Elijah's expression darkened. He had forgotten that his Bella was a married woman- and not to him. He wanted nothing more than to rip Liam's heart out, and he didn't even know that he abused his Bella yet.

"Where are we going with Elijah, mama?" Kaleb asked, his brown eyes, identical to Elijah's, staring up at Bella.

Bella smiled slightly. "I was thinking the clearing. As long as it's okay with your f- Elijah. Why don't you ask him?" Already, she was referring to Elijah as their father. Maybe because she had dreamt about them being the perfect family for so long.

"Can we Elijah?" Kaleb begged. "Can we? Please?"

Elijah smiled. "What is the clearing?" he asked.

"The best place ever!" Kaleb exclaimed, face glowing with excitement. "Luke and I will show you it!"

Lukas nodded in agreement. "Well, then how could I say no?" Elijah said, smile growing wider.

The two were out the door before Bella could stop them. "Wait for us!" Bella called to them. She sighed and shook her head. Even Lukas, the most calm and obedient son, became just like Kaleb when the clearing was mentioned.

"Shall we?" Elijah held the door open for her.

Bella smiled and nodded. "We shall."

Then the two followed their sons to the clearing.

_**~TLND~**_

"What are they like?" Elijah asked her as they sat down at the base of a tree and watched Kaleb and Lukas play in the clearing in front of them.

"Amazing. Kaleb is wild and uncontrollable, but he's very loving and protective. Lukas is the oldest, and he is just like you. I swear, he is. He's honest and moral and kind- and he's only five. I sometimes mistake him for being older than he actually is. They're both amazing, Elijah. And I am not just saying that because they're my children," Bella gushed, a smile on her face. She could go on and on about her twins for days, and it annoyed most people. Elijah didn't mind it, though. He wanted to know all about his children and the five years of their lives he missed.

"Kaleb must get his loving and protective side from his mother, though," he said casually, watching the youngest twin chase his brother around.

"And his father. He gets his protectiveness from his father." It was moments like these where Bella could fool herself into believing that she and Elijah were actually married. That he wouldn't have to leave soon. It was moments like these where Bella wanted to throw her arms around the man she loved and kiss him.

"Mama! Mama!" Kaleb and Lukas went sprinting towards her, half-smashed yellow flowers in their hands.

"Here, mama." They gave her their flowers at the same time.

She beamed and accepted them. "Thank you, my Little Bears," she said, kissing them both on the cheek. "Now go play."

Kaleb surprised both of his parents by turning to Elijah and saying, "Do you wish to play with us? We're playing chase and Lukas is it!"

"I am not!" Lukas exclaimed, frowning.

Bella opened her mouth to save Elijah from playing a child's game, but he spoke up first. "I'll play as long as I get to be it." He was smiling, looking as if the world outside of the clearing didn't exist.

The twins took off running, but Bella grabbed his arm before he could chase after them. "You don't have to," she told him, frowning slightly.

"I want to," he told her honestly. "I missed five years. I do not want to miss any more."

Bella let go and Elijah ran- at a human pace- after his sons. She smiled slightly. Liam never played with the twins, he was never a real father to them. But they needed a father, and fathering seemed to come naturally to Elijah.

_**~TLND~**_

"I think you won them over today," Bella said as they walked back into her house. She was carrying a sleeping Kaleb while Elijah was carrying a sleeping Lukas.

"They really are amazing," he said, a small smile on his lips. His siblings didn't know about their nephews yet, but they were going to love them. Lukas and Kaleb just had that effect on adults- they won them over almost too easily.

"I am glad you think so." Bella led Elijah to the twins' bedroom, and put Kaleb down in his bed while Elijah put Lukas in his. Then they quietly stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

Bella and Elijah stood in awkward silence. Today had been about Elijah getting to know his sons, but now they were fast asleep after a day of bonding. The two had no excuse not to talk about them, about their relationship.

Elijah frowned suddenly, staring at Bella's face. Her cheek, more specifically. She had tried her best to cover up the red welt on her cheek, but with not much success. He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed it before.

"What happened?" he asked softly, anger flaring up inside of him. Who would dare hurt his Bella?

"Nothing," Bella said quickly. "I- I ran into something."

Bella didn't want Elijah to find out about Liam hitting her. She didn't want him to kill her husband. Even if he deserved it, Bella didn't wish death on him. It would be because of her, that he died, and Bella had already killed enough people to last her a lifetime.

"Into a hand?" Elijah asked skeptically.

"Yes. Into a hand," she said unconvincingly.

"You are a terrible liar, Bella."

She sighed and looked away. "He hits me, alright?"

Elijah stiffened. _"He what?" _he growled, his face darkening.

"Liam hits me," she repeated in a small voice.

"I'll kill him."

"Don't!" Bella said quickly, grabbing Elijah's arm and staring up at him with pleading eyes. "Don't kill him."

"And why shouldn't I? Why do you wish him to live? Why do you stay with him?" Elijah's eyes widened. There was only one logical answer in his eyes. "It is because you love him, is it not?"

Elijah looked crushed, then he looked resigned. He had figured that Bella would find somebody else just like she figured he would. Bella shook her head quickly. "No, of course not. When I make a promise, I keep it, Elijah. I told you that I would love only you, so I shall love only you."

It was the first time in five years she had said those words out loud. Elijah stared at her, his face softening. "Then why do you stay with him? Why do you not want me to kill him?" he asked quietly.

"He would kill me and my entire family if I left him. But I don't want you to kill him because I do not want another life to be taken because of me," she explained.

Elijah shook his head at her logic. But he didn't argue. Then looked at each other again, her green eyes meeting his brown ones. Then Bella reached up and cupped his face in her hands.

She didn't care if it would make things any more complicated. She didn't care if Elijah was just going to leave again. She needed him, she craved to be in his arms. After five years of putting up with an abusive drunk, she needed to be with a man who loved her, and whom she loved back. She needed Elijah.

"I love you," she whispered.

Those three wonderful words broke Elijah's resolve to not give into his need for Bella. He kissed her, roughly, passionately. He grabbed her and easily lifted her up into his arms. Bella wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him back.

Bella and Elijah found themselves in her bed, Elijah on top of her. His eyes were red, his veins darkened, his fangs out. But Bella wasn't afraid. She knew what Elijah subconsciously wanted, and she wanted to give it to him.

Bella craned her neck to the side, exposing it more. "Bit me," she said simply.

Elijah hesitated a few seconds, before meeting her gaze. She was trusting him not to kill her, not to kill the mother of his children. And he wanted to keep that trust. Without any words, he leaned down and bit into her neck.

Bella gasped slightly in pain. It was excruciating in the beginning, but it eventually melted away to pure pleasure. She moaned softly. Elijah was very gentle as he drank from her.

He pulled away from her neck and wiped his mouth. Then he bit into his wrist and offered it to her. "Drink it, it'll heal you," he all but commanded.

She also knew that it would officially bind them. He had drank from her, now she would drink from him. They would be one. And Bella wanted them to be one. She drank from his wrist, surprised to find that his blood actually tasted good.

After she pulled away and wiped his blood from her lips, Elijah was kissing her again. He swiftly removed her dress, their lips never breaking. After five years apart, Bella and Elijah were one again. They had finally made love again.

_**~TLND~**_

The next two days past quickly. Elijah, Bella, Kaleb, and Lukas spent the days as a family, and Bella and Elijah spent the nights as lovers. But things couldn't go on like that forever. Elijah would have to leave eventually, and Bella had her husband to deal with.

On the last night before Liam would return, Elijah offered the solution to their problem. "Leave with me."

"Elijah-" she sighed. She couldn't leave, they had gone through this already.

"We can be a family, Bella. You, the twins, and I. We can be a real family," he told her.

She sighed again. Oh, if only it were that simple. "What about Liam?" she asked.

"I can easily compel him not to harm your siblings, and I can easily protect you from being harmed."

"What about my siblings? I cannot leave them," she told him, turning onto her side to face him in the bed. The only thing covering their naked bodies was the blanket they shared.

"They have moved on, Bella. They have families of their own now. Gemma and Kol are convinced that they are better off apart. I think that they would want you to be happy, and if leaving with me would make you happy, then they would want you to leave."

Bella sighed again. He was right. She wanted to leave, too. She wanted to be with Elijah. She wanted their children to be with their father. "Alright," she said.

Elijah's eyes widened. "Alright?"

"I will leave with you, Elijah," she said with a small smile.

In response, Elijah kissed her, knowing that they would never have to be apart again.

_**~TLND~**_

The next day, Bella was quickly packing her things and the twins' things. "Where are we going, mama?" Lukas asked her curiously.

"We are leaving with Elijah, Little Bear," she answered distractedly.

Kaleb grinned. "I like Elijah," he said. Lukas nodded in agreement. When they were older, they would learn the truth. Elijah was their father.

Bella packed faster. She wanted to leave before Liam returned. It would be less dramatic that way. Suddenly, a loud crash came from the kitchen. The door had been kicked in.

Bella's breath got caught in her throat. "Under your beds, now," she ordered. She had a bad feeling what was happening, and she had to protect her children.

"_Bella!" _Liam roared her name as he stormed into the twins' room. Rage contorted his features, only this time, he wasn't drunk.

"Liam-" she tried to say, but he cut her off by hitting her on the side of the face.

She gasped in pain and fell to the floor. Liam held his sword against her chest, the tip digging into her skin. "Please. Please, Just listen to me-" she tried to say, but he cut her off.

"You cheated on me!" he roared and her eyes widened. How did he know about Elijah? "I will not be made a fool of by my own wife!"

Kaleb and Lukas stared at their mother from under their beds. They didn't understand what was happening to her. But Bella had to protect them. She had to keep them safe. It was her job as a mother.

The sword tip dug deeper into her skin. "Please," Bella whispered, but she already knew it was too late. She and Elijah were being ripped apart yet again.

Her gaze shifted to her twins. She had to keep them safe. Liam would kill them without mercy after she was dead. She quickly waved her hand, and blankets fell over the edge of the bed, blocking their view from what was about to happen.

"You are a disgraceful whore," he growled.

Bella didn't even have time to be afraid, to sprout out any last words about how much she loved Elijah or her sons- and she did, a lot. Because then Liam stabbed his sword right into her chest, piercing her heart.

And then Bella was dead.

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **It just occurred to me, how cruel I am. I play with my readers emotions like it's a sport. I teared up, writing this chapter. Poor Belijah, they just can't catch a break.

One more chapter left!

Thank you to: Katerina The Von, TVDobsession106, Belinda, HoneyGee98, Samantha meyers, and pat bennett for reviewing.

Review :(

~Abby


	31. the forever

**Chapter thirty one**

_The forever_

Liam stared down at his dead wife in disgust, before dropping the sword down next to her and leaving the room. He had to go find her little brats and kill them as well. He had been a fool to marry the pregnant slut five years ago, to let her convince him that her children were his.

As soon as he was gone, Kaleb and Lukas burst out from under the bed and ran to their mother. Their eyes were full of fear and confusion. They didn't understand what was happening. They didn't understand that their mother was dead.

"Mama…" Kaleb shook Bella, but she didn't respond. "Mama! Wake up, mama!"

"Mama! Wake up!" Lukas said, shaking her too. But they had no success. Bella's blank eyes stared up, blood still trickling out of the wound in her heart.

Tears started falling out of the twins' eyes. They were starting to realize that something wasn't right. Bella would've woken up by now. She wasn't sleeping.

"Mama…" Kaleb turned to his twin. "Why isn't she waking up?"

Lukas shook his head slightly. He was the smart twin, but even he didn't understand death. "Maybe she's just really tired and taking a long nap?" he suggested hopefully.

Kaleb turned back to his mother. _"Mama, wake up!" _he shouted at her, shaking her forcefully. Little did he know, this was a grave mistake.

Liam heard Kaleb shouting, and began running back to the boys' room. The twins didn't understand, though. They were still focused on waking up their mother. "Did father hurt her?" Kaleb asked, staring at the blood staining Bella's dress. He knew that that wasn't a good thing.

"I think so. He and mama play fight a lot. Only it doesn't seem very playful, and mama is the only one who gets hurt." Lukas frowned at Bella before laying his head down on her chest. "Mama, please wake up."

"There you little bastards are!"

Liam stalked into the room again, his eyes lit up with rage and madness. Lukas and Kaleb backed away from him, their eyes wide. Liam walked forward and grabbed his sword from the ground. He raised it and walked even closer to the cowering twins.

"What is going on here?"

Elijah swiftly took in the situation. His sons, shaking in the corner with tears streaming down their faces. Liam holding his blood stained sword, looking insane with anger. And Bella…

…And Bella, dead on the floor.

It hit Elijah hard, almost knocking him backwards. He felt like the air, the life, had been taken from him. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at her. No. Not his Bella. He couldn't be losing her again.

Why was fate so against them?

Fury ran through Elijah then, when he realized that Liam had killed her. The same Liam who had beaten her before, who had called her cruel things then try to rape her afterwards. The same Liam who would pay with his life.

Elijah's eyes flickered to his sons. Did they even understand that their mother was dead? He doubted it. That was when he realized that he was not the only one who had lost. Joseph, Garrett, and Gemma lost another sister. Kaleb and Lukas lost their mother. And Elijah lost the love of his life.

"Who the hell are you?" Liam growled, turning his attention to Elijah.

"The man who is going to rip your heart out," he replied coldly. Before Liam could even comprehend his words, Elijah ripped the sword from his grip and threw him against the wall. Then he looked back to his sons.

"Go," he told them. "Go to the clearing." He wanted them far, far away from what was about to unfold.

"But..." Lukas looked down at Bella. "Mama."

Elijah's gazed softened. "Go to the clearing," he repeated in a soft, quiet voice. "I will be there soon, and I will explain everything to you."

Lukas and Kaleb had only known Elijah for three days, but they liked him. And Bella trusted him, clearly. So the twins nodded slowly, before walking out of the room. But before they did, they each kissed Bella on the cheek. And then they ran to the clearing.

Now that his children were gone, Elijah turned his attention back to Liam. He wasn't a cruel person. He only tortured when completely necessary, when the person deserved it. And Liam deserved everything he was about to get.

Elijah threw him out of the room- he didn't want Liam to die in the same room as Bella. Liam slammed into another wall, and Elijah growled menacingly before grabbing him by the neck and yanking him up.

"You will pay for every time you hurt her. And then, only then, will I finally rip your heart from your chest," Elijah murmured in a low voice, eyes full of calm, dangerous anger.

While Elijah busied himself torturing Liam, he found that his anger and rage distracted him from his pain. At that moment, he didn't have to face it. He would later though, once Liam was dead. That was why Elijah made his death much more longer than he originally intended- he didn't want to face his pain.

It took twenty minutes for Elijah to break every bone in Liam's body, to bruise every inch of skin, to draw blood from places most would never have thought of. By the time Elijah was done with him, he was a pile of mush at his feet, just begging to be put out of his misery.

Elijah stared down at Liam hatefully. He had taken his love from him. Elijah was not cruel, but he enjoyed sinking his hand into Liam's chest, closing his fingers around his beating heart, then ripping it out.

Elijah dropped it down next to Liam's dead body, and watched the light leave his eyes. No, he didn't feel pity. He didn't feel remorse. He didn't even care that Bella was probably cursing him, nothing more than a ghost because of Liam.

Elijah closed his eyes. Bella was dead. Every time he thought that, it felt like his own heart was being torn out. Over and over and over again. He took a deep breath, wiped his hand clean on Liam's shirt, then turned and walked back into the twins' bedroom.

Bella still laid on the floor, her beautiful green eyes staring up at the ceiling. Pain washed over Elijah like water, burning and scarring wherever it touched his heart. He shook his head slightly in disbelief, even though the proof was right in front of him.

"Oh, Bella." Elijah pulled her dead body into his arms. Now he knew how Niklaus felt. Empty, lost. Now he knew why Niklaus had become the worst killer out of all of them, why he had become obsessed with breaking the curse Esther had placed over him. Anything to distract from the heart breaking, life ending pain that came with losing the love of your life. It was the kind of pain that stayed with you forever. And for the Mikaelsons, forever never ended.

Elijah must've sat there in the room for hours, holding Bella's body to him. He never wanted to let her go. But he had to. he had to take care of their sons. He knew she'd want him to, and Kaleb and Lukas were the only things he had left of Bella, besides his memories. He had to raise them, even if he was a vampire.

"I love you," he told her simply. Just one last time. Then Elijah placed a soft kiss on her cold lips, then her pale forehead.

Elijah set Bella back down on the ground and closed her eyes. He'd never forget about the woman he had almost married, who had given birth to his children. He'd love her for all of his eternity, and he'd carry his pain over losing her forever.

The only thing that managed to tear Elijah away from Bella was knowing that his sons were waiting for him. Almost zombie-like, Elijah walked through the dark village to the clearing, where Kaleb and Lukas would be waiting for him, in the dark night.

"Elijah!" Lukas exclaimed when he saw him approaching. He sighed with relief. "What happened to mama?"

Elijah sighed. He didn't know how to explain their mother's death to two five year olds. "Your mother… she… she passed away, Lukas."

Kaleb's eyebrows furrowed. "What does that mean?"

Lukas was still. "It means she's with Auntie Halia and Uncle Adrian now. She died, Kaleb."

Elijah forced himself to stare at his sons' heartbroken faces. If he had only went to get his family sooner, Bella could still be alive. This was his fault.

The three seemed to stare at each other for hours, the twins still in shock. Finally, Lukas spoke up. "Where is our father? He hurt mama, didn't he?"

Elijah nodded. "You will not need to worry about him," he told them darkly. He didn't like them calling Liam their father, but he would explain the truth to them another day.

"Where do we go? Now that mama's gone?" Kaleb asked quietly. They didn't seem to be completely out of shock yet.

"I was thinking that, if you two didn't mind, you could come with me. I think your mother would have wanted that." Elijah needed his sons. They were the only thing he had left of Bella. Lukas even had her eyes.

Lukas nodded slowly. "I wouldn't mind." For some reason, he knew that his mother would have wanted them to go with Elijah too. They had been leaving with him before Bella died, anyway.

Kaleb nodded in agreement. "Me neither."

Elijah was about to have them lead him to Gemma's house, so that he could explain the news, when he suddenly felt a presence among the trees. He stiffened, when a familiar scent hit him. Elijah's eyes widened. No. it couldn't be.

Slowly, the figure came out of the trees, and the father and sons could just make out who it was in the darkness.

Kaleb gasped, his face lighting up. _"Mama! _I knew you weren't gone!"

Elijah stared, wide eyed, at the woman he had thought to be dead. Bella stared back at him, equally stunned. That was when he noticed the blood covering her face, and it suddenly occurred to him.

Bella had come back as a vampire, and then she completed her transition without being able to control herself.

"Wh-what happened, Elijah? I do not know what happened," she repeated over and over again. Suddenly, Elijah was there and he pulled her into his arms.

"You're alive," he breathed, still in shock. "You're alive, Bella."

Bella hugged him back tightly. "How? Liam killed me. Then I woke up, and I was scared and confused and alone. And Liam was there and he was dead and his blood smelled so _good_…"

"Shh," Elijah soothed her. "You're a vampire, Bella. You're a vampire."

Her green eyes stared up at him, wide. "I am?" she whispered.

"You are."

"How?"

Elijah shook his head. "I do not know." It would take centuries for the two to realize that it had been Bella's ring that saved her. It was composed of magic, vervain, and vampire blood. If the wearer were to die with it on, they would come back as a vampire.

"It does not matter, I suppose." Bella suddenly grinned and grabbed his face. "I'm alive and you're alive."

"Technically, we're both dead, Bella," he corrected her.

Bella rolled her eyes. "You get my point. We can be together now. Forever."

"Forever," he agreed.

Then they sealed their promise of forever with a kiss.

**The end**

_**~TLND~**_

**A/N: **So, it's over. I'm sad to see this end. It's a bittersweet ending, I know. At least one out of three of our couples made it out!

Now, I've had questions of a sequel for this story. My answer is sort of complicated.

I am going to try to hint at this as vaguely as possible. For those of you who read Love Me Forever, I'm guessing you're reading Eternal Love as well. Well, I can tell you that the characters in True Love Never Dies will be making appearances in Eternal Love. More than appearances, really, but I can't say anymore with giving the plot away. So, basically, Eternal Love will be a joined sequel, of True Love Never Dies and Love Me Forever. I told you, it's complicated.

This means that to read Eternal Love, you'll probably want to read Love Me Forever. Honestly, you should probably just read the entire LMF series to completely understand everything. It'll make more sense that way.

Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts. Thank you for all of the support from all of my readers!

If you have any questions about my weird version of a sequel for TLND, just message me :)

~Thanks a million for everything, Abby!


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